JERUSALEM: Israel announced on Thursday (Dec 24) that it’s going to impose a nationwide lockdown from Sunday, it’s third of the COVID-19 pandemic, just days after it began vaccinations against the virus.
“A normal lockdown shall be imposed from Sunday for 2 weeks,” a press release from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office mentioned.
“There’s a possibility to increase the lockdown for an extra two weeks until the essential reproduction number (for the virus) falls below 1 and the number of new cases per day falls below 1,000.”
Individuals in Israel shall be barred from traveling more than 1km from their homes, and businesses shall be closed except for deliveries.
Exceptions shall be made for these traveling for vaccinations, and colleges will stay partially open for some age groups.
The new lockdown comes after a sharp rebound within the infection charge since the last lockdown in September, when the per capita infection rate was among the highest in the world.
In inhabitants of 9 million, Israel has now confirmed 385,022 COVID-19 cases, 3,150 of them fatal.
Israel launched a nationwide inoculation program on Monday after receiving a first consignment of the vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech.
On Wednesday, the health ministry confirmed 4 cases of a new strain of COVID-19 that emerged in southern England which British health officials believe spreads quicker.
In response, Israel this week banned overseas nationals arriving from Britain, Denmark, and South Africa, the place a separate new strain has emerged.
It also imposed a compulsory quarantine for all arrivals from overseas.
