Coronavirus committee considering putting closures on nine cities

Due to the continually increased morbidity rate and the attempt to find the sources of the outbreak, MKs are expected to discuss a new list of cities to go into lockdown tonight.

By MAARIV ONLINE
Lockdown on some Jerusalem neighborhoods begins in effort to stop coronavirus spread, April 12, 2020 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Lockdown on some Jerusalem neighborhoods begins in effort to stop coronavirus spread, April 12, 2020
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The Ministerial Committee on Restricted Affairs is expected to meet on Wednesday night to discuss the closure of cities across the country, according to Israel's N12 News.
The cities, where coronavirus has spread at a higher rate, include Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Raanana, Modiin Illit, Bet Shemesh, Kiryat Malachi, Lod, Ramle and Ashdod. The proposal will be presented to the ministerial committee, which will decide on restricted zones.
While it is currently unclear which cities will get what sorts of restrictions and to what extent, the mayors of Ramla and Lod announced on Wednesday night the lockdown of several neighborhoods in the cities.
Ramla Mayor Michael Vidal said that the Amishav neighborhood in the city will be locked down starting Thursday, noting that "Following the spread of the coronavirus and after several conversations with Prof. Grotto, deputy director-general of the Health Ministry, and a close evaluation of the morbidity rates in Ramla, we decided to close the Amishav neighborhood starting tomorrow."
In Lod, the neighborhoods of Ganei Ya'ar and Sach will enter quarantine for one week starting Thursday. The current lockdown on the neighborhoods of Pardes Snir, Ha'Rakevet and Neve Shalom will continue to next Tuesday and will be lifted as morbidity rates decline.
Acting Ashdod Mayor Avi Amsalem and deputy mayor Yechiel Weingarten sent a letter to the city mayor, Yehiel Lasri, calling him to avoid extending the lockdowns on the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhoods in the city, claiming that there has been a decrease in morbidity in the past few days and that the lockdown harms the residents, who may soon lose faith in the authorities.