JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Wednesday that Israel can beat a new surge in coronavirus cases without the need for lockdowns and urged the public to continue social distancing and wearing masks indoors.
He told reporters during a press conference that he has directed police to step up enforcement of mask-wearing indoors to combat the highly contagious Delta variant.
“A citizen in a closed place without a mask will be required to pay a high fine. That’s the fair thing to do, because it’s wrong to have people who are lazy and hurt the rest of the public,” said Bennett.
He also told Israelis to minimize physical contact with people who are not family members and avoid traveling outside of the country.
“I advise Israelis not to fly abroad. Do not fly abroad,” said Bennett.
The prime minister said his government will try to avoid another national lockdown to protect Israel’s economy. But that depends in part on people wearing masks indoors and social distancing.
The number of new coronavirus cases climbed past 700 this week, and most of them are from the Delta variant, according to Health Ministry data. Most of those cases are mild.
Israel has led one of the world’s fastest vaccination campaigns. Some 5.2 million people have received two doses. Israel also began administering booster shots this week for those with compromised immune systems.
***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN
