Finance Minister Israel Katz and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, both from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, verbally clash over the potential reopening of street stores as a second phase in the easing of coronavirus restrictions takes effect.
Katz is calling for opening the stores as early as Tuesday, accusing the Health Ministry of an “unnecessary and baseless insistence” on delaying the move and claiming it is leading Israel to “anarchy and lack of regulation that will only increase morbidity.”
White Katz says infections are continuing to decline, Edelstein retorts and says the basic reproduction number is in fact on the rise, accusing Katz of “populism” and “leading us knowingly toward another lockdown and a financial, social and health disaster.”
“I understand the woes of the store owners,” Edelstein said. “We must help them and give them a safety net. However, we must remember that a rapid reopening now means another lockdown later. This complacency will eventually cause a death sentence for many businesses.”
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Sunday, November 1, 2020
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