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Israel predicted a turnaround in the COVID-19 crisis could be weeks later than previously thought on Sunday as coronavirus variants offset its vaccination drive and a large funeral crowd of ultra-Orthodox Jews defied a five-week-old national lockdown.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promoted a speedy vaccination of Israel’s most vulnerable cohorts – around 24% of 9 million citizens – and the lockdown as dual pathways to a possible reopening of the economy in February.
But a projected mid-January turnaround in curbing the pandemic did not transpire. Serious cases have surged among Israelis who have not yet been vaccinated. Officials blame this on communicable foreign virus strains and on lockdown scofflaws.
Violations by ultra-Orthodox Jews, who are among the conservative Netanyahu’s supporters, have been played up by political rivals in questioning the lockdown’s efficacy – and building opposition to the premier ahead of a March 23 election.
Full Story: Reuters
