Israel to deploy army to help enforce Covid-19 lockdown
Israel will deploy its army to help police enforce the coronavirus lockdown in the country, as people are told to stay at home and businesses are closed down.
A partial lockdown that was already in place was made even stricter earlier this week, with people being required to stay within 100 meters of their homes and to stay at home as much as possible, with the threat of fines or prosecution for violating the rules.
In line with many other countries, gatherings have also been banned and schools shut down.
Now the army will come in to help enforce the rules.
We are preparing to allocate 500 soldiers to assist in limiting the spread of #COVID19, as requested by @israelpolice & approved by the government.From Sunday, IDF troops will be assisting police teams with patrolling, isolating & securing areas in Israel.#StayHome
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 27, 2020
The restrictions are hitting the Israeli economy hard, with the state’s central bank projecting the economy will shrink by 2.5 percent this year.
Israel has been trying to form a government for many months now, after it went to the polls for the third time in less than two years.
Now, however, opposition leader Benny Gantz said on Thursday that there could be a unity government to deal with the pandemic, potentially ending the political gridlock.
So far Israel has reported over 3,000 infections, with 10 deaths.
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