The prime minister warned that restrictions would be reimposed if the number of coronavirus cases in Israel continues to rise.
By Ebin Sandler, World Israel News
On Saturday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on live television to issue a stern warning regarding the need to remain vigilant in light of the continuing coronavirus threat.
“Everyone needs to worry about not getting infected, and about not infecting others,” said Netanyahu, adding, “If we don’t keep the regulations, it will return.”
Netanyahu delivered the address in response to a spike this week in new virus cases, with 100 infections reported during a 24-hour period on Friday, the largest surge since the beginning of May. The general theme of the address was that corona victory celebrations are premature at this point, with Netanyahu identifying as red flags Israelis’ failure to continue wearing masks and maintain social distancing.
The prime minister reminded the nation that the virus is still ravaging other parts of the world and “still exists here in Israel.”
“As long there is no vaccine, [COVID-19] will return. And it will spread, if we aren’t exacting [with] the rules,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said new graphs that had been presented to him showed an upward trend in infection, whereas earlier graphs had shown a downward trend. “It’s too early to say if this is a general trend change, but it’s not too early to say that this is a general loosening in discipline,” he said.
Among the hotbeds of new infections is a school in Jerusalem’s tony Rechavia neighborhood, which had over 100 cases, requiring testing for all students and staff.
Netanyahu referred to the upcoming week as a trial for the nation to see if eased restrictions keep the virus at bay, warning that if the uptick in cases appears to be a trend, restrictions on businesses and movement could be reintroduced.
While the school system is slated to remain open, Netanyahu said that authorities would step up enforcement of social distancing and face mask requirements.
As of Saturday evening, Israel had recorded 284 deaths from the coronavirus.
总理警告说，如果以色列的冠状病毒病例数继续增加，将重新施加限制。
世界以色列新闻社的埃宾·桑德勒
星期六晚上，总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡在直播电视上向全国发表讲话，发出严厉警告，警告说，鉴于冠状病毒的持续威胁，需要保持警惕。
内塔尼亚胡说：“每个人都需要担心不会被感染，也不会感染其他人。如果我们不遵守规定，它将再次出现。”
内塔尼亚胡（Netanyahu）提供地址是为了应对本周新病毒病例的激增，在周五的24小时内报告了100例感染，这是自5月初以来的最大增幅。演讲的总体主题是，在此刻过早地举行电晕胜利庆典，内塔尼亚胡将以色列人未能继续戴着口罩和保持社会疏远的信号标记为危险信号。
总理提醒该国，该病毒仍在肆虐世界其他地区，并且“仍然存在于以色列。”
“只要没有疫苗，[COVID-19]将返回。内塔尼亚胡说：“如果我们不遵守规则，它将蔓延开来。”
内塔尼亚胡说，提供给他的新图表显示感染呈上升趋势，而较早的图表显示呈下降趋势。他说：“现在说这是否是总体趋势变化还为时过早，但现在说这是纪律方面的普遍放松还为时过早。”
在新感染的温床中，一所位于耶路撒冷托尼·雷恰维亚（Rechavia）社区的学校有100多例病例，需要对所有学生和教职员工进行检查。