Israeli Energy Minister and political veteran Yuval Steinitz have said an immediate lockdown is needed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus. He is thinking of a strict lockdown of ten to twenty days.
People then have to stay at home and are only allowed to leave the house for urgent matters.
Steinitz has been a Member of Parliament for more than 20 years and has held many ministerial positions since 2009. He is a member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud party.
Israel introduced an intense lockdown on March 19 but began easing corona measures early in May. There were hardly any new infections that month, but at the end of May, the number of cases started to rise again.
Last Friday, the Ministry of Health recorded a record 1464 new cases in 24 hours. In total, 38,670 cases were registered, and 362 patients succumbed to the virus.
It is best to start with the strict lockdown right away because it will have to be reintroduced sooner or later, Steinitz said in an interview with Israeli media.