(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Wednesday, 21 October 2020), at the start of the Corona Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:
"When we approach the Corona Cabinet, we must first know the facts. Israel was ranked first in morbidity per capita in Europe. We imposed a lockdown and we came down quickly. The other countries of Europe that did not impose lockdowns and did not impose tough restrictions – went up quickly. Belgium, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands – all these countries now have higher morbidity than ours, other than Germany, which is also going up.
“Therefore, we now need to do three things. First, to preserve the success of the lockdown, which has been achieved with your help, citizens of Israel. You made a great effort here and I thank you. Second, to transition from stage to stage gradually. There will not be nine stages, there will be fewer, but they will be gradual. Third, if we see that there is an increase again, which is now happening in European countries, we will be compelled to re-impose some of the restrictions.
“I am requesting your help because together we will succeed."