In an appeal to citizens for patience and understanding, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warns that 2-4 million Israelis are likely to be infected by COVID in the current wave, and everyone will need to deal with the situation.
“I understand the frustration and I am listening to it,” Bennett writes on Facebook. “I also have children in schools, and we are also trying to maneuver in this complex situation.”
Bennett says that information presented to the cabinet earlier today shows the likelihood that “a total of 2-4 million citizens will be infected during this current wave. This is a storm that is happening around the world, even in countries that instituted a lockdown.”
The prime minister writes that the government is working to continue to provide solutions to ongoing issues: “I am listening to the distress, to the long lines and the high price of tests,” he says. “We are working to alleviate things as much as possible, but we will all need patience and resilience.”
Since the start of the pandemic, close to 1.5 million Israelis have tested positive for COVID. Israel’s population stands close to 9.5 million.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
