Coronavirus High Holy Days lockdown rules - everything you need to know
The following restrictions go into effect at 2 p.m. on Friday, September 18:
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANBORDER POLICE patrol a nearly empty city center during a partial lockdown in early April(photo credit: NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90)Restrictions on leaving one's residence:> One may go out from one's residence up to a distance of 1 kilometer only.This restriction enables going out into the public sphere, including parks and playgrounds, within this limit.Exceptions to the 1-kilometer restriction: * Going to work / IDF base* Buying medicine, food and essential products and services* Helping someone in distress* Obtaining medical, psychological or complementary care* Receiving social welfare assistance g* Traveling to the Knesset, a demonstration, judicial proceeding or to donate blood
*Exercising (people must exercise on their own or with people they live with; there is no distance limitation, providing the person the person is traveling to exercise by foot and not by vehicle)* Attending a funeral or circumcision* Conducting prayers or blowing the shofar, so long as a permit has been granted by the Religious Services Ministry* Providing essential treatment or care for animals* Transferring a minor between parents who do not live together or transferring a minor to the care of another person if a single parent is going out for an essential need* Going to permitted educational activity (special education, children of essential workers)* Going to the airport for an overseas flight, up to eight hours before the flight* People with disabilities in sheltered housing or other residential programs - visiting first-degree relatives or vice versa* First-degree relatives of fallen soldiers from the Yom Kippur War - attending a memorial service* From Wednesday, September 23 until Thursday, October 1 - Purchasing the four Sukkot species, materials for building a sukkah, performing kaparotRestrictions on being in various places> It is prohibited to be in a residence of another person (except for some permitted purpose, such as carrying out work or assisting someone with a difficulty)> It is prohibited to be on the beach except for permitted exercise only (by one person or people who live together, who came from their residence and not via a vehicle)Rules of conduct in the public sphere:> Prohibition of gatherings – up to 10 people inside, 20 in an open space> Social distancing - two meters from one another> Restrictions on the number of passengers in a vehicle – up to three people (except for people who live together) and one additional passenger per additional backseat rowRestrictions on commercial and recreational activity:> It is prohibited to open businesses and places open to the public (including commerce, restaurants, swimming pools, gyms, barbershops, beauty parlors, places of recreation and hotels) as well as reception hours at places of work.Exceptions:* There is no restriction on employees entering places of work provided that said place of work is not open to the public (for example, to carry out maintenance work, arrange merchandise, etc.)* Essential stores: food stores, opticians, pharmacies, hygiene products, home maintenance products, laundries, communications products and repair shops for communications devices and computers - including those in malls or open-air markets* Reception in essential places of work for essential services that cannot be obtained remotely (post offices, banks, etc.)* Hotels and guesthouses – When the same are serving as alternate residences (long- or short-term) for people renting the place (such foreign workers, etc.) – without use of public spaces, pools, etc.* A place for professional athletic training that has been approved by the Culture and Sports MinistryOutline for prayers on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur:> It is permitted to go to a place in the public sphere where prayers are being held provided that it is no more than 1 kilometer from one's residence.> In open areas – In regular groups of up to 20 people, with distance between the groups and physical demarcation, empty places between people who do not live together , and no serving of food.> Inside – Areas with regular groups of 10/25 people (depending on the area being orange or red), with plastic between the areas, the maintaining of distance between the areas, the posting of signs regarding the number of worshippers, the size of the place, the applicable rules, two chairs' distance between worshippers and no serving of food.Permitted capacity for prayers inside during the high holy days:* Red areas – 30 people for the first two entrances, 20 people for each additional entrance* Orange areas – 50 people per entrance* In any case, the number of worshippers present shall not exceed 1 person per 4 square meters of space in places designated for prayerPublic transportation:> City buses on regular routes – 32 passengers> Inter-city buses on regular routes – 30 passengers> Accordion buses on regular routes – 50 passengers> Minibuses – 50% of the number given in the license> The Carmelit – 50% of spaces> Chartered buses – 30 passengers> All other ground vehicles – 50% of the number given in the license> Taxis – The driver and either one or two passengers, if one of the passengers is someone who needs an escort, except for people who live togetherSpecial directives for passengers:* Passengers in ground transportation vehicles may not eat while they are in the vehicle unless it necessary to maintain health* Passengers in public transportation will pay for the ride by validating their ticket themselves and not by purchasing tickets from the driver; however, senior citizens, people accompanying the blind and passengers on bulletproof buses in Judea and Samaria will be able to purchase tickets from the driver* Those operating ground transportation vehicles shall employ ushers to assist in maintaining these rules. The ushers shall wear clothing that identifies the operating company and which is distinguishable from police uniforms and will wear prominent name tags that also identify them as ushers.* On buses: Passengers shall not sit in the seats immediately behind or next to the driver unless there is a barrier of at least 180 centimeters in height between the driver's seat and the seats behind him. If these seats are reserved for people with disabilities, other nearby seats shall be allocated, which provide easy access.* Passengers may not stand on intercity buses* Passengers may not stand near the driver on city buses on regular routes* Taxis: Passengers shall not sit next to the driver unless there is a plastic barrier between the driver's seat and the adjacent passenger seat.* In all transportation vehicles with windows that can be opened, the windows shall be opened.* Trains: An entry pass for the trip which was ordered in advance together with the ticket. The entry pass will include the passenger's identification number, boarding station, destination station, and the date and time of the trip. Israel Railways will keep in a secure manner the information it receives pursuant to this regulation, will make no other use of it other than to print entry passes and to deliver to the Health Ministry in order to carry out epidemiological tracing and will delete it 20 days after receiving it.Workplaces:> Public sector: The number of employees in government offices, local authorities and religious councils shall not exceed 10 workers or 50% of the workforce at any one time, whichever is highest.> Activity in the private sector that does not receive the public shall continue as usual, as per the Purple Ribbon standard
