Head of Sheba infectious diseases ward: 'Lockdown may continue for weeks'

Professor Gili Regev, head of Sheba Medical Center's infectious diseases ward, spoke about the current lockdown and about public officials who break Health Ministry guidelines, in an interview done for Army Radio. "It will take several weeks to loosen this lockdown. It's an optimistic scenario I'm hoping for, but we will have to learn how to live with the coronavirus afterwards," she said. "This lockdown is far less strict than the previous one – and I'm not expecting to see another lockdown like the first one, which was a bit too much, and has its own health risks," Regev said. "The fact that people are going out: There's no problem with that. Even the whole protest thing – what's troubling is how the police tries to enclose people next to one another."

Regarding public officials who break the Health Ministry's guidelines, Regev said: "It doesn't help. It's clear that [Environmental Protection] Minister Gila Gamliel should resign after such an event, but it's also true that the media shouldn't stick to every little thing – it just makes people more extreme."Yohanan Cohen, a man who prayed at the same synagogue as Gamliel, said that the synagogue was like "a second home for her and her family," adding that "We are viewed as pariahs; the Health Ministry's data include the entire radius of the area."Gamliel is one of several high ranking officials who have violated coronavirus guidelines over the High Holy Days. Sara Netanyahu called a barber against regulations before an appearance in a public video. The head of the Shin Bet was also reported to have hosted his family members during the lockdown.