As I sounded the alarm over Israel’s sharp increase in daily coronavirus cases last week, I made a rather gloomy prediction: I don’t see how Haredi yeshivot can possibly be able to function safely while virus cases are high without making things much worse. But I also see little political possibility that the government, relying […]
Crisis as daily cases pass 3k
Yesterday, 3075 coronavirus cases were identified in Israel, a record number. The previous record, the day before, was 2250 daily cases. That works out to 32.6 new coronavirus cases per 100k residents yesterday, which is the highest in the world (excluding microstates). Bnei Brak alone reported over 250 cases yesterday. If Bnei Brak was a […]
10? 14? Explaining quarantine lengths
There’s been a LOT of confusion over how long mandatory quarantine (aka self-isolation or בידוד, “Bidud“) lasts in Israel. I probably get a few messages a week asking me about it, and it’s a popular topic on Secret Jerusalem too. Basically, there are two categories of quarantine in Israel, as there are in many other […]
In the Red Zone
Earlier this week, the Israeli Government, via the Coronavirus Cabinet, adopted Prof. Ronni Gamzu’s plan, which is officially called the rather dramatic “Shield of Israel plan” but everyone just calls the traffic light plan. If you’re a regular, you know I’m sceptical about the plan because it currently calls for a significant easing of social […]
Covid Roundup 30 August
Gamzu plan authorized…ish? The Coronavirus Cabinet today finally voted unanimously to adopt the Gamzu Plan, which is known in Israel as “Tochnit HaRamzor”, the traffic light plan. Under the plan, cities will have different rules according to the level of infection, with additional restrictions on red cities and relaxations in most everywhere else. It will […]