Empty chairs in Tel Aviv square mark COVID deaths

More than 1,000 empty chairs were placed in central Tel Aviv square early Monday, an eerie display symbolizing the lives the coronavirus has claimed in Israel.

A red rose was laid on every empty chair with black and white mourning signs representing a person who died due to the coronavirus.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced overnight curfews on some 40 cities and towns hit hard by the coronavirus.

The government has been forced to take new action after failing to contain an outbreak that has claimed more than 1,000 lives and remains at record levels of new infections.

The curfews will go into effect Monday night at 7 p.m. and will last until 5 a.m.

It was not known how long they will remain in place.

The announcement came less than two weeks before the Jewish New Year.

The outbreak has raised concerns that the country could be forced to declare a nationwide lockdown during the upcoming holiday period, a time of widespread travel and large family gatherings.

Overall, Israel has recorded nearly 130,000 cases of the virus, with more than 26,000 still active. It recently has been reporting some 3,000 new confirmed cases each day.