On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that all government and local authority workers would be placed on paid leave until the end of the Passover holiday, except for those deemed critical for continued operations. Private sector firms exceeding 10 employees will be required to reduce staff present in the workplace by 70%.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon hailed an agreement reached with union representatives, employers and industry organizations to ease financial struggles faced by businesses and self-employed workers. Measures will include increased eligibility for unemployment benefits and the deferral of payments, including VAT, municipality taxes and utility bills.
Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, Eytan Halon and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.