Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai slammed Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar Siman Tov on Wednesday, telling him that the city can’t prevent people from swimming in the sea and that “you can fish them out of the water on your own,” N12 reported.
While Siman Tov was worried about people gathering on the beach and possibly infecting one another with COVID-19, Huldai insisted that if the Health Ministry demands it, then it should provide lifeguards to carry out such a decision and not the city.
Other mayors present at the debate joined Huldai, including Netanya mayor Miriam Feirberg, Herzliya mayor Moshe Fadlon, and Haifa mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem.
Huldai slammed the ministry in the past, saying it ordered schools to sanitize classes after each lesson, but didn’t offer any funding to cover the costs.
The government ruled that people who engage in sports, such as surfers, will be allowed to swim with their own personal gear while keeping social distance. Yet it is not known how, and whom, is meant to tell apart so-called professional athletes from members of the public who wish to swim.