coronavirus lockdown

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, on July 21, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

July 22, 2021, 10:58 pm

Bennett: Vaccine refusers are endangering the entire country

PM warns another lockdown is possible if one million holdouts aren’t immunized, says aim is ‘to have an open and safe country’

By TOI staff

Iranians walk past a shuttered cinema hall in downtown Tehran on July 20, 2021. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

July 20, 2021, 3:44 pm

Iran registers new record daily COVID cases, as daily deaths hit 250

Tehran, other locations placed under lockdown; offices and banks in capital and Alborz provinces to close for six days

By AFP

People walk around in a commercial district in downtown Tehran, Iran, July, 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

July 19, 2021, 4:19 pm

Iran imposes week-long lockdown on Tehran as coronavirus surges

Public venues in 2 districts to close down starting Tuesday after daily cases almost hit new record

By AP

An antigen speed test is pictured in a nursing home in Ammerschwihr, eastern France, on November 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

July 18, 2021, 10:36 am

Israel rolls out pilot for pharmacies to sell rapid home virus tests

Quick tests will also be used at mass events; health officials reportedly pushing to limit access to indoor venues only to vaccinated, recovered

By TOI staff

A man wears a facemask at the Mahane Yehuda market in Jerusalem on June 15, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

July 17, 2021, 9:46 pm

Over 1,000 COVID cases recorded Friday in nearly 4-month high

Health minister: More restrictions needed, what are we waiting for?; ministry officials said pushing to bring back Green Pass at indoor venues; authorities to step up enforcement

By TOI staff

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a media briefing on coronavirus in Downing Street, London, on July 5, 2021. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/Pool Photo via AP)

July 12, 2021, 4:44 pm

UK’s Johnson set to confirm end of COVID restrictions even as cases rise

PM likely to downplay talk of ‘Freedom Day,’ with both hospitalization and deaths edging up in recent days despite vaccination drive

By Pan Pylas

Illustrative photo: An Orthodox Jewish woman sits in the garden of the abused women's shelter in Beit Shemesh, July 15, 2014. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

From the WebJuly 5, 2021, 1:39 pm

62% spike in calls to UK Jewish women’s domestic abuse helpline during pandemic

Jewish Women’s Aid says it spoke to 465 callers between April 2020 and March 2021; says lockdown ‘used as an opportunity by perpetrators to abuse’

Israelis attend a movie at the Cinema City theatre in Jerusalem on May 27, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

June 1, 2021, 5:52 am

Back to normal: Israel lifts nearly all COVID restraints as virus fades away

Tuesday marks end of Green Pass and Purple Badge requirements, meaning all venues can open to all people, with no limit on crowds, as nation looks to put pandemic in rear-view

By TOI staff

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, holds a cup of coffee as he speaks with pupils after taking part in a science lesson at King Solomon Academy in London, on April 29, 2021. (Dan Kitwood / POOL / AFP)

April 29, 2021, 3:43 pm

‘Cash for curtains’: Watchdog steps up probe of Boris Johnson’s apartment refurb

Allegations are part of a slew of claims of cronyism and ethical breaches against UK PM and his Conservative government ahead of local elections next week

By Jill Lawless and Pan Pylas

Muslims pray during the first dawn prayers of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, as they keep social distancing to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, April 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

April 14, 2021, 8:46 am

Muslims mark Ramadan in pandemic’s shadow amid new outbreaks

While less restricted than last year, only vaccinated or recovered allowed at Islam’s holiest mosque in Mecca, as lockdowns curb festivities in Gaza, Iraq, Indonesia and more

By amr nabil and Niniek Karmini

The Carlton Tavern seen before it was demolished in 2015 (CC BY-SA Oxyman/Wikimedia commons)

April 12, 2021, 6:37 am

Historic London pub to reopen six years after being bulldozed by Israeli company

Carlton Tavern, only building on its block to survive Nazi blitz, was ordered rebuilt ‘brick-by-brick’; one of thousands of pubs across UK to open as virus curbs lifted

By TOI staff and AP

A man walks through Tehran's closed Grand Bazaar, in Tehran, Iran, April 10, 2021. (AP /Vahid Salemi)

April 10, 2021, 10:33 pm

With slow vaccine rollout and surging cases, Iran enters a 10-day virus lockdown

Just 200,000 doses administered in country of 84 million; 85% of cities declared ‘red’ or ‘orange’ zones amid 4th pandemic wave

By Amir Vahdat

In this Wednesday, March 17, 2021 file photo, morning fog blankets a cemetery in West Virginia. The number of U.S. suicides fell nearly 6% in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic — the largest annual decline in at least four decades, according to preliminary government data. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

April 9, 2021, 6:35 am

Defying pandemic fears, US suicide numbers dropped sharply last year

Preliminary numbers show 6% decline in suicides, largest annual drop in at least four decades even as people dealt with severe isolation and economic distress

By Mike Stobbe

Illustrative: Israelis march in protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the entrance to Jerusalem, January 30, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

April 4, 2021, 7:50 pm

High Court: Protest limits during 2nd lockdown were unlawful, all fines annulled

Government said restrictions were imposed to protect against outbreak, but critics maintained rules designed to halt anti-Netanyahu demonstrations

By TOI staff