Israel to reinstate strict three-week coronavirus lockdown

Israel will reinstate strict lockdown measures for three weeks amid a surge in coronavirus cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday. 

“Our goal is to stop the increase (in cases) and lower morbidity,” Netanyahu said in a nationally broadcast statement, according to The Associated Press. “I know that these steps come at a difficult price for all of us. This is not the holiday we are used to.”

Restaurants, schools and hotels, among other businesses, with shut down starting Friday, the start of the Jewish High Holiday season. Israelis will also face additional restrictions on movement ahead of the holidays when Israelis typically hold large family gatherings and pack synagogues,  the AP reported.

The lockdown comes after Israel lifted restrictions in place with a lengthy shutdown in the spring that is credited with bringing down infection numbers, according to the newswire. 

Israel reported more than 153,000 coronavirus cases and 1,108 deaths, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.