The Israeli government has approved the introduction of a night curfew starting from Thursday evening until Sunday morning due to the celebration of the national Jewish holiday of Purim
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2021) The Israeli government has approved the introduction of a night curfew starting from Thursday evening until Sunday morning due to the celebration of the national Jewish holiday of Purim.
"The Cabinet approved in principle the Health Ministry outline for the Purim holiday, from Thursday evening, 25 February 2021 until Sunday morning, 28 February 2021," a joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and the health ministry said late on Tuesday.
The curfew will be in place starting at 8:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. local time (from 18:30 until 03:00 GMT), with people being permitted to move for no more than one kilometer (0.63 miles) from home. The regulations also prohibit visiting a residence of another person, the statement read.
Gatherings and performances will be limited to 10 people indoors and 20 in open spaces throughout the period in question.
This limits the usual Purim holiday customs, which involve the exchange of gifts and public functions with masks and costumes and recitations of scripture in synagogues.
Israel began its mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 on December 20. To date, nearly half of the country's 9.3-million population has received at least one shot of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. As of Wednesday, the Israeli health authorities reported 761,551 COVID-19 cases, including 5,648 deaths.
Beginning on Sunday, a new round of quarantine easing entered into force, with shopping centers, markets, libraries and museums having opened. Along with that, the government extended the suspension of all inbound and outbound international passenger flights until March 6.
