Several ministers oppose plan to implement 2-week lockdown beginning this Friday.
By: A7 Staff
Housing and Construction Minister Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism threatened to resign if the government implements a lockdown over the High Holidays, Channel 12 News reported.
Litzman is not the only minister who opposes the imposition of the lockdown, but he is among the most vehement of its opponents.
The government must make a final decision on the issue before the prime minister leaves for Washington tonight to sign the agreement with the United Arab Emirates.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said last night that there would be no relaxation of the lockdown for political reasons. “I signed the proposal that will be brought to the government and I say unequivocally – there will be no negotiations.”
“As soon as we start setting conditions for one area or another, we will collapse the entire proposal, and as a result – we will collapse the health care system,” Edelstein said.
The proposed lockdown, which will be brought for a vote on Sunday, is expected to meet with opposition from several ministers, and it is expected that there will be efforts to water it down as much as possible.
“The proposal placed on the table is extreme and insane, and it will not pass as is,” ministers told News 12. They added that the proposal “critically harms the economy, welfare, and health.”
Economy Minister Amir Peretz (Labor) has announced that he intends to oppose the lockdown.
“I support a nightly curfew under which 80% of the economy can remain open,” he said. “Hundreds of thousands of employees and business owners are living in fear. The economic coronavirus plague is no less severe than the health plague. But if you place limits – then you compensate. I have turned to the Prime Minister demanding that a team be formed immediately to determine a plan for compensation which will be clear to everyone.”
Under the proposed plan, schools would close on Wednesday, other than special education. However, grades 5-12 would continue distance learning throughout the upcoming holiday period. Limits would be placed on the number of employees allowed to work in-office, and workplaces would be encouraged to allow as many employees as possible to work from home.
The lockdown will begin at 6 AM on Friday morning. In the first stage of the plan, movement will be limited to 500 meters around a person’s home, and all businesses will be closed, including stores, cultural and entertainment venues, tourism venues, and any business which handles customers face-to-face. Restaurants will be permitted to offer delivery or take-away only. (INN)
