Covid-19: Israel weighing full lockdown on ultra-Orthodox hotspot

Lockdown
Tel Aviv, April 1, 2020 (dpa/NAN) Israeli Authorities on Wednesday said they were considering imposing a full lockdown on the crowded ultra-Orthodox Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak, which had become one of the country’s hotspots for the coronavirus.
According to the Ministry of Health, about 730 people in the suburb of roughly 200,000 have been infected with the coronavirus, a jump of 159 cases from the previous day.
The ministry added that the suburb so far had the second-highest number of infections in the country, after Jerusalem.
According to Israeli media, police have erected roadblocks at the suburb’s entrances, however, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan told Army Radio that police were closely enforcing the emergency order.
According to media reports, Bnei Brak’s Mayor, who is in self-isolation, warned that authorities must not turn the suburb into ghetto.
Other ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods, such as Jerusalem’s Meah She’arim, have similarly seen an increased police presence, as well as increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases.
Authorities are concerned that members of the ultra-Orthodox community are continuing to gather in spite strict lockdown rules imposed by the government, including a ban on prayers in public.
In the latest violation, some 400 attended a rabbi’s funeral in Bnei Brak on Saturday. Channel 12 reported that police are in touch with the community to prevent another such gathering at an upcoming funeral.
More than one million of the country’s population of nine million is ultra-Orthodox. Most have no access to the internet and TV for ideological reasons, making it hard to stay on top of the guidelines.
Meanwhile, far-reaching measures had also put the economy in danger, with over one million Israelis registered as unemployed as of Wednesday.
However, the rate of unemployment was now 24 per cent whereas, in February, it was four per cent.(dpa/NAN)
YI/IAA
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Edited by Yahaya Isah/Isaac Aregbesola