Health Ministry tells Israelis: Don’t leave home unless necessary

The Health Ministry announces sweeping new restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus, requiring Israelis not to leave their homes unless for essential needs.

Those needs include shopping for groceries, picking up medicine, receiving medical care and other essential services. People who can go to their workplaces in accordance with the ministry’s guidelines can do so.

The ministry says going to parks, playgrounds, the beach, pools, libraries, museums, national parks or other public places is forbidden, unless people are taking out their pets or children.

The police are not being asked to enforce these instructions. Rather, the public is expected to act in accordance with them.

Among other orders and guidelines, the ministry advises those at greater risk from the virus to avoid having people over or leaving their homes unless for essential needs and says Israelis should keep a distance of two meters from each other when they’re outside.