Coronavirus: Israel marks Jewish New Year with second lock down

Ns News Online Desk: Israel is entering a second nationwide lock down to curb surging coronavirus cases, just as people begin to mark the start of Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is traditionally a time for big, family get-together s.

But under the new three-week lock down, Israelis must stay within 1km (0.6 miles) of their homes, with exceptions, and the number of people allowed in synagogues has been greatly reduced.
Israel currently has one of the highest Covid-19 infection rates in the world.
In the past week, new cases have reached daily highs of more than 6,000, and the country’s leaders have apologized for their failure to contain the pandemic.
Israel has seen 1,169 deaths from Covid-19 and nearly 177,000 confirmed infections, according to a global tally kept by US university Johns Hopkins.
It is said to be the first developed nation to reimpose nationwide curbs.However, the new national lock down is widely unpopular, according to local media, with protests taking place before it came into force.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that, if necessary, he will not hesitate to impose harsher restrictions.
What are the new measures?
The restrictions, which came into effect from 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT), are the most extensive imposed in Israel since the first lock down, which ran from late March until early May.

Under the new restrictions:

No more than 10 people can meet indoors while groups of 20 are allowed outdoors
Schools and shopping centers must close
Israelis must stay within 1km of their homes, with some exceptions, including travelling to work or buying essential items
Non-governmental offices and businesses can stay open, but must not offer in-person services
However, supermarkets and pharmacies can remain open to the public

Mr Netanyahu has acknowledged the disruption the lock down will cause to Jewish communities celebrating religious holidays that normally see families come together.
“This is not the kind of holiday we are used to. And we certainly won’t be able to celebrate with our extended families,” he said.
The restrictions on indoor gatherings will severely impact prayers in synagogues.