Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a new raft of incentives and restrictions to cope with the coronavirus crisis. "We are preparing to provide special assistance to the city of Bnei Brak. We are tightening the movement of traffic around the city as well as to other districts such as neighborhoods in south Tel Aviv. We will worry about everybody and what they are short of."
He added, "There has been a turnaround in the haredi (ultra-orthodox community), which has fully realized the danger of the coronavirus outbreak. But the disease is already spreading at double the rate of other places. So following consultations with ministers and the police, we have decided to reduce comings and goings from the city.
At the same time we are taking the sick from their homes to hotels suitable for their lifestyle and within Bnei Brak, it's possible to move around within the restrictions - 100 meters from home."
Netanyahu continued, "The second step we are taking is to introduce the wearing of masks in public areas. If you don't have a mask then improvise with a scarf or face covering."
"The third measure is that every Israeli returning home from abroad will go into self-isolation in a hotel."
"The fourth measure is a grant for every family. Every child up to the fourth child will receive NIS 500. Senior citizens will also receive NIS 500 and the money will be paid directly into bank accounts without forms. The government will enact a special law and I'm sure that all factions in the Knesset will support this with fast track legislation."
"We also hear the cries of the self-employed and the grant we are offering will be from those aged 20 and not 28."
Netanyahu concluded, "Our economy is strong and we will make sure that it stays so. Only yesterday we received an indication of this belief when the Accountant General raised a 100-year bond. We sought to raise $5 billion but we received offers for more than $25 billion in credit."
He stressed that the most important instruction for the Passover holiday was, "to celebrate the Passover holiday only with the nuclear family living with you at home while strictly observing the rules of hygiene. A small Passover seder is a safe one."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 2, 2020
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