Kiryat Ye'arim
Kiryat Ye'arimNati Shohat/Flash 90

The Israeli police have recommended the complete closure of the town of Kiryat Ye'arrim, also known as Telz-Stone, in response to the growing number of coronavirus infections in the community.

Kiryat Ye'arim is a predominantly haredi community located in the Jerusalem area. On Saturday night, the virus was discovered in seven members of the same family, causing about 1,600 residents to enter home isolation.

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman confirmed that the possibility of a complete closure of certain communities was being considered seriously.

The head of the Kiryat Ye'arim council, Yitzhak Ravitz, called on the residents to obey all the instructions of Health Ministry, "Unfortunately in the last hour another patient from the community was discovered. In the coming hours, you will be notified by the Ministry of Health. On behalf of the Ministry of Health, I ask in every language ... anyone who has stayed in the places posted in recent days, they must enter home isolation even without an order."

Ravitz added, "It is not a game, and we must take it seriously. This is the only way to curb the epidemic. If the isolation is maintained and if we keep the rules published by the Ministry of Health, we can stop the epidemic."

This evening, Ravitz also approached the Interior Ministry to request budgetary assistance in light of the situation encountered by the council and the isolation of some 1,600 residents.

Under the guidance of the Interior Minister, and due to the need for immediate response, the Ministry's Director General, Mordechai Cohen and the Budget Department of the Interior Ministry worked to expedite the bureaucratic process and released an initial budget of NIS 500,000 to assist the Council in the face of the financial distress it is facing.