Israelis told to stay at home
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis not to leave their homes and he has called on authorities to ensure that the directive is being enforced.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)
Netanyahu said: “Difficult times require difficult decisions. The day before yesterday, I asked you to adhere to the directives of the Health Ministry and stay home. This has met with a response but it is simply not enough. Today, I am announcing an additional increase in the war on Corona. This evening, tonight, the Cabinet will approve emergency regulations to restrict movement. Under these restrictions you, citizens of Israel, are required to stay home. It is no longer a request. It is no longer a recommendation. It is a binding directive that will be enforced by the enforcement authorities. I know that this is not easy. I know that it is hard. But I am asking for your cooperation with these regulations. Their goal is to ensure that as few people as possible are infected and that as few people as possible infect.”
He added: “It will save from death family members, friends and neighbours. If somebody thinks that I am exaggerating, look at the pictures coming from Spain and Italy. Look at what is happening there. Look at the crews who are no longer dealing with the living; they are loading the dead into special vehicles. This cannot happen here.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu explained that are exceptions.
He said: “One can leave one’s home to stock up on food and medicines, for medical treatment and for other exceptions that the Health Ministry Director General will explain to you in a moment. Even if you go out for a short while, do not congregate, do not gather together. Uphold the rules of hygiene and distance, two meters, if not many more. I reiterate, this is not a game.”
There are over 200 countries competing to get protective suits, face masks and ventilators. Israel is using all means at its disposal, to make up the shortfall using the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the Mossad.
He advised Israelis: “Don’t say ‘It won’t happen to me’ or ‘It won’t happen to my family’ because if you do not act correctly, it will happen to you. Don’t say ‘It will be OK’ because if you do not act correctly, it will not be OK.”
He added: “The spokesperson of the Prime Minister’s Office, Shir, married the choice of her heart, Nir. Shir and Nir together organized a wedding with hundreds of people but because of the directives, they were forced to cancel it. They asked my wife and I to put their wedding canopy in the yard of the Prime Minister’s Residence and we agreed immediately. The [Ashkenazi] Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, officiated. There was a very small crowd but there was very great joy. We all maintained a physical distance from each other but there was no distance of the heart. The voice of bride and groom was heard in the streets of Jerusalem.”
