Coronavirus czar pushes ministers on ‘tightened restraint’ restrictions

Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash is telling the coronavirus cabinet that Israel is likely closing in on the edge of what it can handle in terms of testing, warning that if that point is reached “the percentage of positives will jump upward,” according to media reports.

Ash also urges ministers to make a decision as soon as possible on imposing restrictions under a scheme described as “tightened restraint,” but also presents an alternative closure of the type Israel experienced over Rosh Hashanah, Army Radio reports.

The Rosh Hashanah lockdown, which was seen as a failure and tightened significantly days later, was intended to limit movement to within one kilometer of home, but came with a long list of exceptions — from work and shopping for essentials to exercise and aiding the elderly. Schools and some shops were shut, and large gatherings were banned.

The “tightened restraint” scheme, which was meant to follow the failed Rosh Hashanah lockdown, would have lifted some restrictions on movement, but kept in-person, public-facing businesses shut down.