Israel’s cabinet has approved a closure and curfew over the Passover holiday to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus, to stop family gatherings for seder.
Beginning at 4pm on Tuesday, Israelis will not be able to leave the communities where they live until Friday at 7am.
The decision was taken by the government over fears that some families would not abide voluntarily by the social distancing rules and would still attempt to gather in larger groups beyond families already living in the same home.
On the first night of Passover itself, which begins Wednesday evening, the prime minister said all Israelis must remain at their homes from 6pm until 7am Thursday morning. This morning Israel has implemented a total shutdown of all public transport.
As of Monday night, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel rose to 8,904. Another eight people died from the virus on Monday, and another died Tuesday, bringing the death toll in the country to 58.
