On Thursday, Israel announced the third nationwide COVID-19 lockdown for two weeks, starting December 27. The announcement comes days after it began vaccinations against the highly infectious coronavirus.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that a general lockdown will be imposed from 17:00 (1500 GMT) on Sunday for two weeks. Also, there is a probability of extending the lockdown for two more weeks unless the number of new cases per day falls below 1,000.
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The new lockdown announcement comes after a sharp rebound in the infection rate since the last lockdown in September, when the per capita infection rate was among the highest in the world. With a population of nine million, Israel has confirmed 385,022 COVID-19 cases, of which 3,150 were fatal.
Israelis will be barred from travelling more than 1 km (1,000 yards or so) from their homes and businesses will be closed except for deliveries. Exceptions will be made for those travelling for vaccinations and schools will remain partially open for some age groups.
Israel also banned foreign nationals this week arriving from Britain, Denmark or South Africa, where a separate new strain of the virus has emerged. The government also imposed a mandatory quarantine for 14 days all arriving from abroad.