Israel seals off Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox areas to stem Coronavirus spread

Israel has reportedly sealed ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas of Jerusalem as of April 12 as a containment measure to stem cluster infection from some of its densely populated areas badly hit by Coronavirus. With the protective face masks made mandatory in public places, the country also restricted movements from the entry-exit points in Jerusalem with police roadblocks. Residents of the restricted neighbourhoods, however, were allowed to make a trip to the pharmacy or grocery stores near their homes. 

According to reports, an ultra-Orthodox town of 200,000 near Tel Aviv, city’s most susceptible neighbourhood, was declared a restricted zone with limited access even to the police forces. The drastic measure was imposed as roughly one-fifth of COVID-19 cases in Israel were reported from Jerusalem. Earlier, a limited quorum of some 10 men gathered at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews pray, to perform the Priestly Benediction, the customary prayer held during the weeklong holiday of Passover. The ceremony, which normally draws tens of thousands for the crowd was criticised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who rejected singling out the constituency. 

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak Not To Affect S-400 Air Defence Missile Systems Deliveries To India: Ambassador

Read: Spain Records 619 New Coronavirus Deaths; National Toll Soars To 16,972

Resistance from ultra-Orthodox ministers

Over 11,145 confirmed Coronavirus cases have been recorded in Israel, and at least 103 have died thus far. Palestinian officials have listed 268 cases in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, with over two fatalities. The historic old city was decided to be sealed after a ministerial committee gave the approval to shutter the public facilities and in and out movement despite resistance from ultra-Orthodox ministers to curb the cluster transmission among the religious communities, confirmed international media reports.  

Residents of four areas of Jerusalem were under a total ban and were not permitted to leave neighborhoods for provisioning, and could only move to other areas for medical care, a news agency reported. The toughened measures on the public gathering are reportedly aimed to limit religious events in Jerusalem in the month of April, in view of Easter and the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramzan. 

Read: Russia Reports 2,186 New Coronavirus Cases, Highest Single-day Toll

Read: First Arkansas Prisoner Tests Positive For Coronavirus