Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask the coronavirus cabinet to swiftly approve a full lockdown of the country, effective immediately, his office says.
The move would “significantly and immediately tighten the rules” and “close swaths of the economy,” a statement says, without elaborating on the specific steps.
According to Hebrew media reports, the government is considering closing down Ben Gurion Airport as part of the effort to drive down infection rates, which yesterday climbed to nearly 7,000.
Under the proposal, Ben Gurion Airport would be closed from after Yom Kippur until the middle of the Sukkot holiday, the Kan public broadcaster says. Yom Kippur ends September 28 and the weeklong Sukkot holiday begins on October 2.
The coronavirus cabinet is meeting at 2 p.m.
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 
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
