United with Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday Israel’s national strategy to address the deadly illness, referring to the effort as a “war” and the coronavirus as the “enemy.”

By United with Israel Staff

On Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented to the nation new rules and regulations for confronting the coronavirus.

“In every war, you have to identify the enemy,” said Netanyahu, referring to COVID-19, which has infected around 200 Israelis and sent tens of thousands into self-quarantine.

Netanyahu announced on Saturday stringent new guidelines to contain the virus, including limiting public gatherings to 10 people or less and closing leisure venues, including restaurants, movie theaters and retails outlets.

Essential services will continue, Netanyahu stressed, meaning that banks, gas stations, medical facilities and pharmacies will be open.

Netanyahu also referred to the use of “technological measures” to track coronavirus cases, acknowledging the privacy issues this entails but adding, “We are fighting a war and public health comes first. It’s paramount,” JNS reported.

On Sunday, President Reuven Rivlin issued a statement on the coronavirus before beginning consultations related to the formation of Israel’s next government.

“Dealing with emergencies has never been at the expense of Israeli democracy, but has rather strengthened it and made our country, the State of Israel, more resilient,” said Rivlin. “We are committed, more than ever, in light of the urgent need for a government, to hold essential democratic processes, even in a time of crisis.”

He added, “The success of the State of Israel in dealing with this extreme crisis lies in the hands of our civil society. Now is when we are asked to keep calm and to avoid hysteria.”

“That is the spirit, our spirit, and if we maintain it, it will take care of us,” Rivlin concluded.

On Sunday, JNS reported that out of the 200 coronavirus diagnoses in Israel, two are hospitalized in “serious condition” and 11 are in “moderate condition,” according to Israel’s health ministry.

Around 40,000 Israelis are self-quarantined at home, including 2,500 healthcare workers and around 950 doctors.

“Israel is doing much better than most countries around the world. But this is a developing situation; this disease keeps changing and we’re constantly trying to keep one step ahead of it. We can overcome it and defeat it but that requires all of us to change our daily routine so as to stop the spread of the disease. This is about saving lives,” said Netanyahu on Saturday.

以色列总理内塔尼亚胡周六宣布以色列应对致命疾病的国家战略，称其为“战争”，冠状病毒为“敌人”。

联合以色列工作人员

星期六晚上，以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡向该国提出了应对冠状病毒的新法规。

内塔尼亚胡在谈到COVID-19时说：“在每场战争中，您都必须确定敌人。”该病毒已经感染了约200名以色列人，并向成千上万的人提供了自我隔离。

内塔尼亚胡（Netanyahu）周六宣布了严格的新准则来控制该病毒，包括将公众聚会限制在10人以内，并关闭休闲场所，包括餐馆，电影院和零售店。

内塔尼亚胡强调，基本服务将继续，这意味着银行，加油站，医疗设施和药房将开放。

内塔尼亚胡（Netanyahu）还提到了使用“技术手段”来追踪冠状病毒的病例，并承认由此带来的隐私问题，但他补充说：“我们正在打仗，而公共卫生则是第一位。这是至关重要的。” JNS报道。

周日，鲁汶·里夫林（Reuven Rivlin）总统发表了有关冠状病毒的声明，然后开始与以色列下届政府的成立有关的磋商。

里夫林说：“应对紧急情况从来没有以牺牲以色列民主为代价，而是使民主得以加强，并使我们的国家以色列国更具韧性。” “鉴于政府的迫切需求，即使在危机时期，我们也比以往任何时候都更有决心举行必要的民主进程。”

他补充说：“以色列国处理这一极端危机的成功取决于我们公民社会。现在是时候要求我们保持冷静，避免歇斯底里了。”