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Under the leadership of Mr. Netanyahu, Israel has recorded major strides in combating the Covid-19 virus but have religious concerns to deal with.
Covid-19 and Setbacks in the Netanyahu Administration
The Israeli administration has been globally praised for its proactive response towards dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there are gray areas and setbacks that the nation has had to deal with.
A large part of the problem has been getting the densely religious communities to observe precautionary measures that contradict their conventional religious acts. As a result, while the administration has recorded massive success in its vaccination campaign, the inability to effectively enforce lockdown rules have had adverse effects on the nation.
Israel’s Negative Peculiarities in Dealing with the Covid-19 Pandemic
As reported by the Associated Press, a large portion of cases recorded in the country have come from the extremely orthodox part of the country.
Although these communities constitute the minorities in the country with about 11 percent of the population, their constant refusal to adhere to lockdown restrictions on the ground of religion is coming at a health cost.
For instance, a good number of these sects have refused to close down schools, synagogues, and even seminaries.
Many of them have gone to the extent of holding religious mass funerals and weddings without people making use of face marks and apparatus to curb the spread of the virus. This is despite the wave of the pandemic that has forced the nation to enforce the third lockdown.
Hostilities Arising
Many of the other regions and political key players are becoming fed up with the situation as they blame the ultra-orthodox minorities for their role in spreading the virus.
For instance, Benny Gantz who happens to be the deputy prime minister was open in his condemnation as he explained that the lockdown has been unequally enforced in the nation. In a tweet, he explained that “We will not agree to the continuation of an ineffective fake lockdown. Either everyone is locked down - or everyone opens. The days of indulgence are over.”