For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and thanks to huge pressure from the vendors and stall owners, Jerusalem’s iconic Mahane Yehuda open air market reopened on Thursday for business.
The opening came following a major discussion that took place between the representatives of the stall vendors, the heads of the business owners in the market, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kachlon, all of whom met via Zoom to discuss the matter.
Less than a week ago, a well-known stall vendor in the iconic open air market died by his own hand after becoming overwhelmed by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic.
The tragedy, made public on Sunday by the IDF’s Galei Tzahal Army Radio, further infuriated the other stall owners and business vendors at the market who have been hit very hard by the closures due to the pandemic.
As a result, dozens of stall owners clashed with police in an angry demonstration to demand the government allow the reopening of the market.