Knesset approves 'Big Coronavirus Law,' giving gov't more power
In practice, the law will allow the government to bypass the Knesset's coronavirus committee and to implement urgent restrictions without the need for approval by the committee.
By TOBIAS SIEGALPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in protective mask, attends the session of the Knesset plenum, May 7, 2020(photo credit: KNESSET SPOKESWOMAN - ADINA WALLMAN)
The Knesset approved on Wednesday night the “Big Coronavirus law,” which allows the government to declare a state of emergency and to implement emergency regulations for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, while bypassing the Knesset's coronavirus committee.The law passed with 48 MKs voting in favor and 35 MKs voting against it.In practice, the law will allow the government to bypass the Knesset's coronavirus committee and to implement urgent restrictions without the need for approval by the committee. The committee will only be able to cancel new regulations in retrospect, one week after they had been implemented. The law will replace the temporary law that was approved in Knesset earlier in July, which allows the government to bypass the Knesset in matters of coronavirus regulations.The government will be able to declare a state of emergency for a period of 60 days, until the nullification of the law on June 2021. Declaring a state of emergency will be done if "the government is convinced that there is a substantial risk of the coronavirus spreading and significantly harming the public's health," according to the law. In case of a significant improvement in the situation, the government will be required to cancel the state of emergency. During a state of emergency, the government will have the power to impose restrictions on the public without receiving approval by the Knesset. Yesh Atid had tried to reduce the time limit of the state of emergency to 30 days. "A minimal period of time should be defined for a state of emergency, due to its extreme nature and inherent damage to people's rights."While the law does not allow the government to prevent protests, it does allow it to prevent people living in restricted zones to leave and attend protests in other locations. Protests in restricted zones are allowed according to the law.As opposed to the previous temporary law, the new law does not allow police forces entering private homes without a court order.Furthermore, the law states that a "national enforcement administration" will be established and will be responsible for defining enforcement policies in accordance with the Health Ministry, while making sure that the policies are enforced equally across the country.
