Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin (Bibi) NetanyahuMOREThe cabinet voted on Sunday to extend the national blockade against the coronavirus until at least Friday morning, while Israel continues to face high infection rates.
Netanyahu’s office announced the extension of the blockade that closed most schools and non-essential businesses as it entered its fourth week on Monday local time, The Times of Israel reported.
The authorities also decided to keep the country’s only major airport closed until Sunday and to re-establish mandatory quarantine for those allowed to enter government quarantine hotels as of Tuesday.
The extension occurs when Israel predicted that coronavirus cases and deaths would decline in mid-January, a forecast that did not materialize, according to Reuters. Israeli officials point to more contagious foreign strains and non-compliance within the country for COVID-19 statistics continuing to be high.
Cabinet officials allegedly argued over how long to extend the blockade, with Netanyahu and Health Ministry officials arguing for at least another week, while Defense Minister Benny Gantz pushed for it to be completed by Thursday, according to The Times of Israel.
Israel maintained about 6,000 new cases of coronavirus daily, reaching one of the highest infection rates among developing countries, The Associated Press reported. Forty percent of current cases are among children and adolescents, a Health Ministry official told cabinet members, according to The Times of Israel.
Overall, the country accounted for more than 643,000 cases of COVID-19, leading to almost 4,800 deaths since the pandemic began, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University. More than 3 million people in Israel received the first dose of the vaccine, with more than 1.7 million receiving both doses.
Cabinet officials announced the decision after the packed funerals of two prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Jerusalem, which defied restrictions on up to 10 people for outside meetings. Both rabbis died of COVID-19, according to reports cited by the AP.
Netanyahu, who faces an election in March, was criticized by opponents for not responding strictly enough to large gatherings of ultra-Orthodox Jews, who, as a community, represent 40% of new cases, but 11% of the population.