Questions about the coronavirus restrictions? The ‘Post’ has the answers

The Health Ministry ran a digital media conference. The Jerusalem Post provides you with its answers many of what we think are the public’s pressing questions.

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
Jewish men pray at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City. April 19, 2020. (photo credit: NATI SHOCHAT/FLASH 90)
Jewish men pray at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City. April 19, 2020.
(photo credit: NATI SHOCHAT/FLASH 90)
The government approved a number of directives to help open the country’s economy and ease the isolation of Israel's public on Sunday morning. By afternoon, it was clear the public had a lot of questions. The Health Ministry ran a digital media conference. The Jerusalem Post provides you with its answers to many of what we think are the public’s pressing questions:
MASKS
1 - Do I have to wear a mask when I workout within 500 meters from home? No. Any kind of outdoor workout is fine, as long as you are with the same training partner. There is no working out in gyms, since they are still closed. Beaches and pools are also closed.
2 - Is the NIS 200 fine for not wearing a mask applicable in all public spaces or just in closed spaces or crowded places? The restriction is valid anytime you exit your home. Masks should be worn in closed spaces, open spaces and during public gatherings.
CHILDREN
3 - Can children be watched by a caregiver from outside the city, for example can a family in Jerusalem employ a babysitter from Tel Aviv? Yes
4 - Is there a cap on the number of children who can be watched by a single caregiver? The limit is not on the number of children, but the number of families – up to three
FOOD
5 - Can I get takeaway now? There is still no takeaway food – deliveries only.
TRAVEL
6 - What is the rationale of allowing sporting activities only up to 500 meters from home but to allow walking to a store that could be much further from home? The goal is to reduce leaving home while expanding the possibilities for a more normal life. If the destination has no special purpose, then you have to stay near the house. To be clear: Up to 100 meters from the house to get fresh air, sports activities can be done up to 500 meters from home, shopping or accessing essential services anywhere you want.
7 - Will Israelis who travel abroad continue having to enter 14 days of isolation? Will they need to wear masks on those flights? It is hard to know at this stage – no decision has made made.
RELIGION
8 - What is the logic behind the number of worshippers being 19? In the previous restriction, only 10 people were allowed to gather. The logic is not epidemiological but related to the number: a minyan or quorum is 10 men. Once there are 20, you can make two minyans.
9 - Can you explain how and why three men can go to the mikvah at the same time? The Health Ministry has to balance between preventing the spread of the virus and allowing freedom of religion and worship – the High Court recently ruled on this matter. Three people cannot dip in the mikvah (ritual immersion) together, rather three people can be present at the same mikvah complex.
WORK
10 - If people over the age of 67 cannot go to work, how come Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is 70, can do his job? The prohibition against those 67 and older going to work only applies to people who have not been working up until now. The prime minister has not yet stopped working, so there is no reason for him not to work now.
11 - Can all employees return to work at approved places as long as the “purple ribbon” status is achieved? Yes, except in places that have been specially closed, such as entertainment venues or restaurants.
12 - The restrictions say toy stores cannot open. What about stores that sell both office supplies and toys? It depends on what is the store’s main focus.
13 - Why is takeaway food forbidden when one can pick up items from a store? There is no “takeaway” from any store or restaurant – the only stores that can operate are those than can function within the restrictions of the Health Ministry – which is not many.


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