The Cabinet voted in favor of the continued gradual restoration of economic activity in Israel and an ease in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) related restrictions and permitted the operation of restaurants, bars and pubs, swimming pools, tourist attractions, and public cable cars and boats beginning Wednesday.
The measures to ease restrictions were approved due to the continued decline and stabilization in the number of verified new cases. The number of active Coronavirus patients dropped by 19 to 2,019 on Tuesday.
The renewed operations are subject to strict observance of physical distancing, wearing masks, observance of the rules of hygiene, the marking of places for standing in line, regulating the numbers of customers, and subject to the detailed Purple Badge standard instructions.
The restriction on seating in fast food courts in malls is still in effect.
Anyone not operating in compliance with the rules may face a NIS 2,000 fine.
The Health Ministry reiterated that “adhering to the instructions and directives regarding physical distancing, wearing masks and maintaining the rules of hygiene are important and vital in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus in Israel.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the government wants “to help the economy – the business owners and the self-employed who have hoped for this moment.”
“Second, we want to make your lives easier, to allow you to go out and get some air, to go back to routine as much as possible, to drink a cup a coffee, and to have a beer as well. So, first of all, enjoy yourselves, but we are monitoring developments, including the trends in morbidity; we are prepared accordingly. I hope that we will not have to make changes,” he cautioned.
On Sunday, Minister of Transport Miri Regev and Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein agreed that public transportation will expand its activities considerably.
On Thursday, the permitted capacity in the inter-city bus system will increase from 23 passengers to 46 passengers, so that except for the row behind the driver, all bus seats can be used. The ban on standing during the bus ride will continue.
In the inner-city bus system, passenger capacity will increase from 20 passengers to 49 passengers on a regular bus and from 30 passengers to 75 passengers on a long bus. The city bus system will allow standing during the ride.