Netanyahu urges ‘strict self-discipline’: Coronavirus patients in Israel number 2,495
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday evening that Israel was days away from a complete lockdown, as the number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in Israel was recorded at 2,495.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)
The Ministry of Health on Thursday morning updated that the number of Corona patients in Israel was 2,495, with 41in serious condition, 69 in moderate condition, and 66 who have recovered.
No patients have passed away in the past 24 hours. A total of five have died in the past week.
In a special statement on Wednesday about the state of affairs in Israel, Netanyahu quoted the Talmudic saying that “whoever saves one life, it is as if he saved the whole world’. But with the coronavirus, that saying has a second, vicious side: ‘Whoever infects one person, it is as if he infected the whole world.’ There is no ‘as if’, he truly has infected the whole world.”
While Israel is under a close to complete lockdown, this is “not enough because the number of patients is doubling itself every three days,” Netanyahu noted, warning that “in two weeks we are liable to find ourselves with thousands of patients many of whom will be in danger of death. Therefore, I am already telling you that if we do not see an immediate improvement in the trend, there will be no alternative but to impose a complete lockdown, except for essential needs such as food and medicines. This is a matter of a few days.”
He called on all Israelis to “stay home – stay alive. The danger lurks for everyone. It does not distinguish between those who are bareheaded and those who wear kipot, or between those who wear a kipa and those who wear a kaffiyeh; everybody must obey.”
He further called for “strict self-discipline. If you do not mobilize to look after yourselves and your families, there will be a disaster here. I have no other way of putting it.”
Israel is “writing a new chapter in the history of Israel. Coming generations will look at us to learn how to act in times of crisis. This requires all of us to take personal responsibility,” he declared.
He concluded in a seasonal spirit, saying that “we survived Pharaoh and though the battle will be hard and uncompromising, we will also survive corona, with G-d’s help and with yours, citizens of Israel.”
New restrictions came into effect on Wednesday evening, meant to stem the spread of Corona in Israel. trains were shut down, bus services were cut to a minimum, and Israelis were told to exercise up to 100 meters from their homes.
Member of Knesset Boaz Toporovsky entered a 10-day quarantine on Wednesday after he was notified that he had been in the vicinity of a confirmed patient.
The latest figures from Tuesday show that 32,346 were tested for Corona, of which 2,000 patients tested positive, about 6%.
The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 198 countries around the world.
At least 472,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 21,300 deaths. Some 115,000 have recovered.
