Health Minister Yuli Edelstein attended a birthday party for his wife last week at which dozens of people were present, hours after he announced new restrictions limiting gatherings to 20 people, the Kann public broadcaster reports.
The broadcaster notes the event didn’t violate Health Ministry guidelines as the new restrictions had yet to take effect, but highlights Edelstein’s comments that same evening likening the pandemic to a “war.”
Edelstein’s office dismisses the report as “cheap gossip.”
“The Health Minister’s wife celebrated her birthday on Thursday at 6 p.m. in an open and large yard with less than 50 people, exactly in accordance with the Health Ministry guidelines, government decisions and Minister Edelstein’s statements as they were at the time,” it says in a statement.
It adds: “This is an unfortunate attempt to cause damage to the public’s trust in the health system. We’re sure the public is wiser than this.”
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
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