Israeli Leaders Extend Nationwide Virus Lockdown Again

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli leaders decided late Sunday evening to extend the nationwide lockdown until at least Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 a.m.

Last month, government ministers said the lockdown would not extend into February, but they decided to renew the restrictions again due to the lockdown’s failure to bring down virus cases as they hoped.

The lockdown bans non-essential businesses from operating, shutters Ben Gurion Airport, prohibits large gatherings, and restricts movement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted the lockdown to be extended by at least another week, but Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz insisted the lockdown extension only last a few more days.

Netanyahu said Israel is “in a race against death” and Israel’s health care system “has been stretched to its maximum.”

He blamed the country’s inability to bring down infection rates on the “intense attack” by the British and South African strains of the virus.

Gantz warned that the lockdown is having a dangerous effect on Israel’s population.

"This disease also has side effects due to lockdowns: depression, loss of education and livelihood, heart disease, and obesity. We mustn't fall in love with lockdown as a solution. This is especially true now when there are the vaccines. When you add to this the economic and social aspect, you end up with a very heavy toll."

The pandemic has taken its toll on families, whose parents are forbidden from working and whose children are not allowed to attend in-person classes. Israel’s National Council for the Child released a report Sunday indicating that nearly one in three Israeli children lived under the poverty line in 2020 as the virus spread.

More children were reported as suicidal in 2020 as well. Israel’s psychological services said there was a 24% increase in the number of potential suicide cases. Meanwhile, the number of children being treated by educational psychologists rose 40%.

Sunday night’s decision to extend the lockdown came after government leaders voted to increase lockdown enforcement. The decision to raise fines for those who violate the lockdown was the source of intense infighting between government ministers. Gantz demanded the government first pass the measure to double fines before extending the lockdown because he believes there is no point in continuing restrictions if they are not properly enforced.

The move is deeply unpopular with Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox partners – the allies he needs to obtain a government majority and remain Israel’s prime minister following the March 23rd elections.

Many ultra-Orthodox institutions have flouted the lockdown rules. Critics accuse Netanyahu’s government of having a double standard and allowing ultra-Orthodox communities to continue holding large weddings and operating their institutions throughout the lockdown.

On Sunday, ultra-Orthodox Jews held two mass funeral processions in Jerusalem for prominent rabbis who died of the coronavirus. The first funeral drew 10,000 people despite lockdown rules, and the second funeral drew a crowd of 8,000.

Israel’s predicted turnaround in curbing the pandemic could be delayed as coronavirus variants offset its vaccination drive and a large funeral crowd of ultra-Orthodox Jews defied a national lockdown https://t.co/eXGtGVGFAX pic.twitter.com/jQUuzbzBAm

— Reuters (@Reuters) January 31, 2021

Ofer Shumer, a senior Jerusalem police officer, told Israeli media “there would certainly have been bloodshed,” if the police had enforced lockdown restrictions at the funerals. In recent weeks, police  who have tried enforcing the lockdown rules in ultra-Orthodox areas have been met with violent attacks by extremist religious sects.

Experts estimate that the ultra-Orthodox, who make up about 12% of Israel’s population, are responsible for 40% of the country’s new cases. Large swaths of the Arab population where infection rates are high also opposed the measure to increase fines.

Netanyahu did not explicitly condemn the ultra-orthodox funerals but issued a general statement on Sunday condemning all large gatherings.

“To be clear: a gathering is a gathering is a gathering. It doesn’t matter if it’s ultra-Orthodox, secular people or Arabs. Unfortunately, there are gatherings on all sides, in all these public groups. We need to stop this immediately and stop politicizing it,” he said in a message to his Twitter account.

Since the pandemic began, more than 646,000 thousand Israelis has been infected with the virus. An overwhelming majority have recovered. Some 4,700 people have died.

Meanwhile, Israel is leading the world in vaccinating its population. So far, more than 3 million people have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. More than 1.7 million have received their second dose.