Netanyahu’s office confirms the Coronavirus Cabinet has tasked the transportation minister, foreign minister and National Security Council with formulating a plan to resume flights by August 16.
In a statement, the prime minister also says the weekend restrictions on businesses will be lifted in a Thursday vote.
In addition, Netanyahu’s office says the government will begin implementing the color-coded coronavirus system, under which cities and towns will have coronavirus policies adapted to their local rates of infection, by September 1.
But the prime minister stresses that Israel could yet see a full nationwide lockdown imposed if COVID-19 continues to spread.
The possibility of a lockdown is averted, for now, but will be re-evaluated in two weeks’ time.
“This is probably the last time to take a moderate line,” says coronavirus czar Ronni Gamzu, referring to his recommendation not to impose a nationwide closure right now. “In the event infection rates don’t decline in two weeks, we will be forced to weigh restrictions, including the possibility of a local or national lockdown.”
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
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
