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Israel to Become First Nation to Enter Second Lockdown

Israel to Become First Nation to Enter Second Lockdown

The latest COVID-19 information and statistics for the Middle East and North Africa

Israel is set to become the first country in the world to undergo a second nationwide quarantine, starting on Friday.

At 2 pm local time, mere hours before the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, an estimated 9,246,000 Israelis – the latest population figures released Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics – will be confined to within 500 meters of home for three weeks, and possibly longer.

The national shutdown also encompasses Yom Kippur on September 27 and 28; Sukkot and its intermediate days, from October 2 until October 9; and Simhat Torah, a two-day holiday that wraps up on the evening of October 10.

Daily coronavirus cases in Israel began to increase toward the end of June and beginning of July, spiking over the past couple of weeks, with the Health Ministry announcing a record 6,063 new infections on Wednesday. On Thursday, the total number of cases in Israel reached 172,322, with 1,163 deaths and 125,671 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker.

To put the latest daily infection numbers into perspective, on May 4, the date that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the easing of many restrictions from the first lockdown, the number of new daily cases was only 38, according to Worldometer, another coronavirus tracker.

The national confinement measures were approved on Wednesday by the government. They also include capping indoor gatherings at 10 people and outdoor social events at 20. The nationwide quarantine will allow restaurants to open only for deliveries, limit the number of passengers allowed on public transportation, and close schools except for special education and programs for youth-at-risk.

There are exceptions, including for essential services such as grocery stores and pharmacies.

According to Israeli media reports, the lockdown will be enforced by 6,000 police officers and 1,000 soldiers.

Here are the latest COVID-19 numbers for the Middle East and North Africa as of 17:00 UTC on Thursday.

Country Confirmed cases Deaths Recovered Active Cases
Afghanistan 38,872 1,436 32,505 4,931
Algeria 48,966 1,645 34,517 12,804
Bahrain 62,484 216 55,444 6,824
Cyprus 1,548 22 1,282 244
Djibouti 5,399 61 5,333 5
Egypt 101,500 5,696 86,549 9,255
Iran 413,149 23,808 353,848 35,493
Iraq 303,059 8,248 237,241 57,570
Israel 172,322 1,163 125,671 45,488
Jordan 4,131 26 2,415 1,690
Kuwait 97,824 575 87,911 9,338
Lebanon 26,083 259 9,634 16,190
Libya 25,822 409 13,908 11,505
Mauritania 7,332 161 6,844 327
Morocco 92,016 1,686 72,968 17,362
Oman 91,753 818 84,648 6,287
Pakistan 303,634 6,399 291,169 6,066
Palestinian Territories 33,843 244 23,060 10,539
Qatar 122,693 208 119,613 2,872
Saudi Arabia 328,144 4,399 307,207 16,538
Somalia 3,390 98 2,812 480
Sudan 13,535 836 6,759 5,940
Syria 3,654 163 889 2,602
Tunisia 8,100 129 2,309 5,662
Turkey 296,391 7,249 262,602 26,540
United Arab Emirates 82,568 402 72,117 10,049
Yemen 2,019 583 1,221 215
Total 2,690,231 66,939 2,300,476 322,816

 

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