Israel Puts Stricter Virus Measures in Place as Cases Balloon

(Bloomberg) --

New rules prohibiting most Israelis from leaving their homes for the next seven days took effect on Sunday morning as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases approached 1,000.

The Hamas-run Gaza Strip, meanwhile, confirmed its first two cases late Saturday. Two Palestinians who entered the enclave from Pakistan were diagnosed after entering through a border crossing with Egypt, Gaza Health Ministry officials said.

Israel tightened its isolation rules after some people balked at following earlier prescriptions. As testing widens, the number of infected persons has soared to 945. An 88-year-old man who died on Friday was the country’s first fatality.

The virus is spreading through the country at a time when it is in the throes of more than a year of political dysfunction following three inconclusive elections. The Ynet news website reported that unemployment has quadrupled to 16.5% as people are fired and furloughed and businesses suffer.

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