image Photo: Flash90

Malls and outdoor markets reopen in Israel

After weeks of being confined to homes or immediate neighborhoods, the Israeli public is now allowed to travel anywhere in the country.

This, following a significant lifting government measures aimed at inhibiting the spread of COVID-19.

Israeli shoppers are also happily returning to the nation’s malls and outdoor markets, which have also reopened as part of attempts to salvage dire economic consequences resulting from the pandemic.

Jerusalem resident Rivka Amedi exclaimed joy over the reopening of Jerusalem’s historic outdoor Mahane Yehuda marketplace, which had been forced to close for the first time in a hundred years. “I will always continue coming here,” she told Reuters, underscoring that, “There is no place like Mahane Yehuda Market.” Delicatessen owner Yaron Zidkiyahu expressed excitement and optimism despite the recent difficulties, saying “we are in good spirits” about returning to a “post-corona routine.”

Oren Petel also voiced happiness over the permitted reopening of his jewelry shop at the Malha Mall in the capital, saying it was great to greet returning customers.

Since TV7’s last report, the Israeli Ministry of Health Ministry has confirmed a steep decline in the upward trend of the epidemic. There are now merely 172 newly diagnosed patients, of whom 77 are in critical condition. 11 others succumbed to the disease, raising the overall mortality rate to 245.

There has also been a significant 18% decrease since last week in the number of daily tests conducted by health authorities, to a current average of 8,198.