Amid the coronavirus lockdown, Jerusalem’s iconic Mahane Yehuda open-air market has become a ‘ghost town’.

Citing a number of government shortcomings and an ill-prepared exit plan out of the country’s first lockdown in July, the report stated that “there is a broad increase in contagion in all sectors of the population, in all parts of the country.”

“Given the rise in infections in those over the age of 60, we expect that the number of serious cases will continue to rise significantly in the near future,” the report added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the nationwide lockdown to stem the coronavirus pandemic would not be lifted after the Jewish holidays end in mid-October, as originally planned, warning it could take much longer to sufficiently drive down the coronavirus rates.

The prime minister’s comments came as “Israel’s health situation grew increasingly dire, with thousands of new coronavirus cases reported each day, overwhelming hospitals, and COVID-19 deaths steadily climbing”.

Source: i24