IDF cancels training, malls scale back operations, amid spike in Omicron cases
The ministerial committee on fighting the coronavirus convened on Tuesday night for the first time in three weeks to discuss “the continued effort to combat the Omicron strain” as the virus continued to cause disarray in the country.
A nurse takes a swab at a Covid-19 rapid testing centre near the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Aug 19, 2021. Photo by Shalev Shalom/TPS
The meeting lasted for some four hours, and the ministers reportedly complained about its length and that they were forced to contend with mounds of data. No decisions were made at its conclusion.
In a press conference earlier in the evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed that his government had not lost control of the situation, that all systems were operating smoothly and correctly, and that the media was generating uncalled for hysteria.
The IDF has announced it is cancelling its training exercises until the end of January to prevent further infections.
In the meantime, mass infections and quarantines continued, classrooms remained empty around the country, and business owners complained of a “de facto lockdown.”
Business owners, including hall owners, producers and suppliers, demonstrated Wednesday morning outside the home of Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid against the government’s conduct in the shadow of the fifth wave of the Corona.
The demonstrators explained that the events industry is completely shut down and that events have been cancelled for weeks ahead, leading to a heavy loss of revenue and economic distress for hundreds of thousands of industry workers.
Contending with empty shops, malls are closing earlier. Following the decrease in the number of buyers, the BIG open mall chain announced a 25% reduction in store rents for its tenants.
Some 34,000 Israelis entered quarantine on Tuesday, totalling 156,000. Close to 5,000 health system workers are in quarantine, including almost 700 doctors and 1,200 nurses.
Some 44,000 Israelis officially tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, but the actual numbers are estimated at some 100,000 a day.
254 Corona patients are hospitalised in serious condition, 63 of whom are on life support.
Members of Knesset Emily Moati and Yomtob Kalfon tested positive for the virus, joining some 10 MKs and ministers who tested positive in recent days.
