Israeli Cabinet Set to Ease Coronavirus Restrictions Following ‘IKEA Revolt’

The Israeli cabinet was set to hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss easing coronavirus-related restrictions even further after public anger boiled over a day earlier. People were incensed by a controversial decision to allow three IKEA outlets to re-open even as small businesses throughout the country remained shuttered. The government also reportedly green lighted the re-opening of lottery booths, leading to widespread criticism given that the nation’s unemployment rate has skyrocketed from less than 4% at the beginning of the health crisis to about 25%. Many view the latest moves as subjective, if not biased, and have accused the government of using arbitrary criteria to determine how to jump-start the economy. Notably, the representative for retailers at Jerusalem’s renowned outdoor Mahane Yehuda market announced that stalls would, with or without the government’s blessing, begin operating on Sunday. “It’s ridiculous that places that are not essential, like IKEA, are opening and have long lines out the doors, and the market sellers are left to suffer,” she said. In response, the director-general of Israel’s Health Ministry conceded that “we should have made some decisions more logically, but we will fix it.” This all comes as officials raised the confirmed number of coronaviruses cases in Israel to more than 14,500. Some 190 people have died.