Most of Israel Opens up after Second Lockdown

As of yesterday, most of Israel is coming out of their second hard, month-long lockdown. The infection rate came down from 8,000 per day to less than 2,000. Israel had been seeing surging cases and one of the world’s worst outbreaks. The largest outbreaks have been in areas populated by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who tend to live in crowded communities and have large families.

Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel

Ben Gurion Airport opened October 15th. Airlines were threatening lawsuits after the shutdowns caused them damage. There are still limited restrictions.

Israelis are very social people so the Coronavirus has been very difficult for this country. During the warm summer evenings, many in Tel Aviv enjoy congregating at outdoor eateries and cafes or just walking on the shores of the Mediterranean. Almost 9,000,000 Israelis went a bit stir crazy being shut completely inside or only being allowed to walk across the street. With Israel opening up, you will still see social distancing practiced as well as mask wearing. They are just happy to get out of their homes!

There are still hot spots in the country where the lockdown is still being observed until their numbers improve, including some neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after a recent meeting, “The decision on a lockdown has proven itself with a dramatic decline in the infection rate in all communities. However, a few towns and areas remain on the red city list.” “I really appreciate the efforts residents made to bring down the infections and hope that with another effort we can remove these areas from the red list soon,” he added.

Shops at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel

Israel has recorded more than 253,000 infections since the start of the pandemic, with more than 2,100 deaths.

Israel relies heavily on tourism which has been shut down for months. Song For Israel has two tours scheduled for 2021— one in April and one in November (different itineraries). Click here for more information on the tours.

Please pray that God heals the people in His land of this horrible virus.