Minister admits to breaking virus rules at swank interchange ribbon-cutting

Transportation Minister Miri Regev holds a ceremony to open a new interchange near Ashkelon, admitting that she is knowingly breaking social distancing rules passed by her government hours earlier.

A video of the ceremony published by Channel 13 shows a tent with at least 25 chairs set up at distance from each other, with a spread of food and drinks for participants.

ברגעים אלה ממש, טקס חנוכת מחלף אשקלון צפון בהשתתפות שרת התחבורה ועשרות מוזמנים, יש סושי, פירות וכריכים, זמר, הגברה וכו׳- הכל עלה לפי גורמים כ200,000 ש״ח. לפי גורמים משפטיים- ההגבלה על התקהלות עד 20 איש כבר בתוקף. pic.twitter.com/QP8F7CTB6R

— Lior Kenan – ליאור קינן (@LiorKenan) July 7, 2020

“We’re not exactly keeping to Health Ministry restrictions. We need to be more compact. It’s true we are in an open area, but there need to be fewer and fewer people. Next time I’ll be sure that it happens,” she says, unmasked.

She adds that because people are not listening to guidelines, “at the end of the day, we will have to make a decision to go back to a lockdown.”

Under current rules in place since Sunday, gatherings of more than 20 people are forbidden.

Channel 13 reports that the shindig, which included live music, cost some NIS 200,000.