The Israeli government Tuesday evening approved a decision to impose a two-week nationwide lockdown starting from Thursday evening.

Cabinet ministers approved the Health Ministry’s proposal amid a dramatic spike in daily coronavirus infections, with the country seeing more than 8,300 cases over the last 24 hours alone.

Israel officially underwent its third national lockdown following an announcement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.

But health experts have largely panned the latest containment strategy as largely ineffective due to weak law enforcement and lack of public compliance.

Heeding warnings emerging from the Health Ministry, Netanyahu called Tuesday’s cabinet meeting to get final government approval for the measure in what he described as Israel’s “last effort” in containing the virus before reopening the economy.

Netanyahu appeared to blame the uptick in new cases on a fast-spreading COVID-19 variant first discovered in the UK several weeks ago, which is said to be 50% to 70% more contagious than the original coronavirus strand.

“The mutation is out of control, and here, too, we see a rise,” Netanyahu said, according to leaks from the meeting to Hebrew media. “The hospitals are warning that we are entering the most dangerous wave since the start of the pandemic and that if we don’t act immediately, we’ll lose many more people.”

As in Israel’s previous lockdowns in March and September, pharmacies, grocery stores, and other “essential” businesses will be allowed to remain open in a limited capacity. Restaurants will also have permission to make deliveries but take-out will likely be forbidden.

Freedom of movement will be restricted to one kilometer from a person’s home while gatherings, aside from immediate family, will be strictly forbidden.

The decision comes as Israel leads the world in per capita vaccinations, with more than 1,370,000 Israelis receiving a jab since the country began its inoculation drive on December 20.

The statistics offer hope that Israel may become the first country in the world to inoculate its entire population, but concerns remain over shortages that will likely halt the program temporarily by next week.

source -i24newstv