Guidelines for the New Routine April 1 2020

Going Out to Public Space

• Going out in public is not allowed, except for one of the following purposes:
  • Going to and returning from the work place, as permitted by regulations
  • Purchase of food, medicines, essential products and receiving vital services
  • Receiving medical service
  • Blood donation
  • Receiving welfare services
  • Providing medical or other assistance to another person
  • An individual, or people who live in the same household, may go out for a short time and up to a distance of 100 meters
  • For purposes of immersion in a women’s mikveh with a prearranged appointment.
  • Transfer of a minor to educational facilities, solely for children of essential employees and special facilities (in accordance with Public Health Ordinance order)
  • Transfer of a minor, whose parents live separately, by one of his parents to the home of the other parent
  • Transfer of a minor whose guardian must leave for an essential need where there is no responsible person to watch the child
  • Legal processes
  • Demonstrations
  • Going to the Knesset
• A distance of at least 2 meters must be maintained between two people in public and at work.
• In public one must wear a protective mask, covering the nose and mouth. It is recommended to use a home-made cloth mask or a regular mask, fitted over the nose and mouth. Instructions for wearing a mask

The direction to wear a mask

Gatherings and Meetings

• In public, avoid gatherings as much as possible
• Organized gathering of more than 2 people is forbidden, except for people, who live in the same household
• Organized gathering in public places is forbidden, except in Knesset and courts of justice
• Circumcision may be held in open space only, with participation of up to 10 people
• Funerals may be held in open space only, with participation of up to 20 people
• Participation in weddings is forbidden in public
• Group prayer is forbidden, except if permitted by the Rabbi of the Western Wall or the Minister of Religious Affairs
• Holding of meetings and international conferences in Israel is forbidden, and participation in foreign ones should be avoided
• Demonstrations and participation in legal processes are allowed as needed

Employees and Places of Work

• The employer is obligated to measure body temperature of employees upon entry to the workplace. Entry of an employee with body temperature exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, will not be allowed.
• Statement form for measuring body temperature and absence of symptoms
  • Employees must measure their body temperature and fill a statement form for measuring body temperature and absence of symptoms: including body temperature above 38 degrees Celsius, cough, difficulty breathing, prior to their arrival to their working place
  • Employees will arrive at their workplace with the statement form, filled for that day, and employers will collect the forms and keep them
  • Workers who are not working as part of the business, may submit a verbal statement
  • Managers will publish the statement form (Hebrew), reflecting the details stated on the Ministry of Health’s website

>Emergency regulations statement form, restriction of activity

>Emergency regulations, restriction of activity (31/3/2020) (Hebrew)

• Sick employees will not arrive to a workplace and not to a crowded place, except for receipt of medical treatment
• Employers must prepare for remote work as much as possible
• A distance of at least 2 meters must be kept between people, windows must be opened and not more than 2 employees will work in a single room
• Hygiene must be maintained: avoid close contact, handshakes, sharing of dinnerware
• Wash hands upon entry to and departure from work, and, in addition, at least once every three hours
• Try as much as possible not to touch the nose and mouth, and to wash hands after that sort of contact

Passover

This Passover

• We celebrate at home, with household members only.
• We keep in touch from a distance via Zoom, over the phone, or in any other creative way. 
• Each of us, will be praying at home.
• This Passover, we will not go on nature hikes. We will stay home and if we must go out then no more than 100 meters away from home. 

Preparations ahead of Passover

• There will be no immersion of dishes or Hagaalah of dishes in the public sphere. 

• There will be no burning of chametz in the public sphere. 

• There is no need to sanitize the homes. Regular bleach and other household cleaning detergents will suffice. 

• It is recommended that you get your groceries done by delivery services.

• If you must go out to the public sphere, wear a regular face mask or a home-made mask from cotton cloth, according to the Ministry of Health's guidance, and keep a distance of 2 meters from each other.  

Traveling in a Private Vehicle and Public Transportation

Private vehicle

• Traveling in a private vehicle will be with two passengers only (a driver and a passenger)
• More than two passengers are allowed to travel in a private vehicle for essential purposes only, such as transporting a person for medical purpose, transporting of a minor between divorced parents, transporting a minor whose guardian must leave for an essential need where there is no responsible person to watch the child or traveling for a purpose of social welfare. However, it is recommended to avoid traveling with more than 3 passengers in a vehicle

Public transportation

Buses, trains, light rail or shuttle service:

• An empty row must be kept behind the driver
• There will be no more than a single person, sitting on a bench
• Standing passengers must maintain a distance of 2 meters from others
• It is the passenger’s responsibility not to use public transportation with fever, exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, cough, or breathing difficulty
• Wash hands after each trip
• Windows shall be open during the trip
• The vehicle must be ventilated and its inner surfaces cleaned after each trip

Taxis

• Taxi services will be allowed only with one passenger, sitting in a back sit, while the windows of the vehicle are opened
• An escort is allowed in addition to the passenger in a taxi, for transporting a person for medical purpose, transporting of a minor between divorced parents, transporting a minor whose guardian must leave for an essential need where there is no responsible person to watch the child, or traveling for a purpose of social welfare.

Shuttle services

• Shuttle services for employees are allowed to/from their working place, in accordance with the guidelines

Businesses, Stores and Services

Businesses that are allowed to operate

• Supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries, food selling stores
• Pharmacies
• Stores that primarily sell hygiene products
• Optic stores
• Animal food stores
• Vital home maintenance services, appliances, communication and medical devices products and services

Businesses will operate, while maintaining a distance of 2 meters between costumers, marking of checkout and line standing places, prevention of crowding, so there will be no more than four customers at each checkout at the same time.

Businesses that are closed to the public but allowed to operate in delivery format only (no takeaway)

• Restaurants, cafes and cafeterias
• Pre-made food selling places
• Dining rooms in hotels
• Stores that are not in the list of businesses, permitted to operate (like books, toys, cosmetics, footwear, laundry)

The businesses are closed to the public but you can make an order from them by telephone or online, and provision of products will be made by delivery only. The delivery will be placed in front of a the home entry.

Businesses that have been closed

• Malls, markets and stores
• Dance clubs, bars, pubs and cafeterias
• Gyms and swimming pools
• Water parks, zoos, Safari and petting zoos
• Amusement parks
• Parks, public gardens, playgrounds and playground equipment
• Museums, libraries, cinemas, theaters and other cultural institutions
• Beauty care and cosmetics businesses, manicure and pedicure, barbershops
• Tattoo and piercing salons
• Alternative medicine treatments
• Public boats, cable cars
• Exhibition halls and fairgounds
• Banquet halls
• Nature reserves, national parks and heritage sites
• Tourist attractions
• Men’s mikveh and bath houses
• Prayer houses of all religions

Businesses are prohibited to operate at a client’s home as well.

> Detailed information about business activity: commerce and leisure - allowed and prohibited (Hebrew)

Healthcare Services

• Use of telemedicine as much as possible is advised for any health problem, rather than arriving physically to the clinic
• People with body temperature, exceeding 38 degrees Celsius or cough, breathing difficulty, or breathing shortness, must stay home for two days after reduction of fever or disappearance of symptoms. Adhering to guidelines of home quarantine is advised in this condition.
• Avoid visiting hospitals and any social, nursing and healthcare institutions, used as home to their residents
• If an escort is required to a patient, limit to one escorting person
• People with body temperature, exceeding 38 degrees Celsius or cough, breathing difficulty, or breathing shortness are not allowed to escort patients
• It is recommended to postpone dental care and do it only in the case of emergency
• Medical personnel who treat patients are allowed to gather only for working purposes and in groups, no greater than 10 people
• Public hospitals have ceased elective activity

Populations at Risk

People, aged 70 and above must:

• Avoid arriving to work
• Not go out to buy essential products and medications by themselves but be aided by deliveries and family members
• Avoid any non-essential gathering, even on Pesach

Further guidelines

• The following people must take care to avoid leaving home, hosting people at their home, except for essential services:
  • Seniors
  • Patients with chronic disease of any age
  • Patients with persistent respiratory diseases, including asthma
  • Patient with autoimmune diseases
  • Patient with cardiovascular diseases
  • Patients with diabetes
  • Patients with diseases and conditions that may harm the immune system
  • Patient with malignant diseases

People With Disabilities

People with autism spectrum disabilities or people with mental disability or alike, are allowed, along with one escort and when needed, to exceed the distance limitation, set by the regulations (100 meters from living area) in essential cases, required for keeping their health or mental state; and this only in a gradual manner and in accordance with the minimal possible distance and time, while adhering to Ministry of Health’s guidelines (a distance of 2 meters from others etc.).

It is advisable to go out with appropriate permissions, disability certificate, exemption certificate or professional document; this is without underestimating the need to strictly follow the guidelines.

Use online, remote, virtual, telephone and similar services as much as possible, in order to create effective routine.

Traveling Abroad

• The Ministry of Health pleads with the public to avoid traveling abroad as much as possible
• Note movement restrictions, applied by the authorities at different destinations
• Before traveling, it is advised to updates regarding morbidity state, Ministry of Health’s guidelines, Ministry of Foreign Affairs guidelines and regulations of local authorities at the destination of the trip
• In case of a trip:
  • Maintain social distance
  • Avoid contact with patients, who have acute respiratory disease
  • Avoid contact with animals, live or dead, and animal markets
  • Adhere to strict hygiene
  • Avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare institutions
• In case of:
  • Appearance of fever or acute respiratory disease, while staying abroad or in Palestinian Authority in the 14 days prior to returning to Israel
  • Contact with confirmed patient in the 14 days prior to returning to Israel

Do not fly and get medical evaluation locally. Reduce contact with others and adhere to strict hygiene.

• Healthcare system employees are not permitted to travel abroad
• Workers of the state are not permitted to travel abroad on duty, except in exceptional cases

Education

• All educational institutions are closed, regardless of their number of students
• This includes special education, boarding schools, day care centers, pre-nursery kindergartens, youth camps, summer camps and afternoon childcare facilities.
• Studies under the responsibility of the Council for Higher Education are operated by means of remote studies, rather than classroom format
• Classes will not be held at all, even with minimal number of participants, including sport classes and gyms, public and private alike

Wearing a Mask and Other Behavior Guidelines

• People must wear protective masks in public and at work, at home there is no need. It is recommended to use a home-made cloth mask or a regular mask, fitted over the nose and mouth. One should wash hands after touching the mask. Instructions for wearing a mask
• Avoid physical contact, including hugging and handshakes
• Open doors without hands
• Avoid touching the face as much as possible
• Wash hands frequently
• Maximal house ventilation is important
• Sanitize handles and doors
• Avoid kissing mezuzahs and other holy vessels
• Use elevator alone or without getting close to other people
• Avoid shared eating (utensils, plates and food)
• Avoid smoking cigarettes, electronic cigarettes or hookahs
• Healthy nutrition and physical activity must be maintained while staying at home

Beyond Regulations

Beyond regulations, the common need to follow the guidelines should be emphasized in order to eradicate the spread of Coronavirus.

 > For further information and full guidelines for dealing with novel coronavirus morbidity (Hewbrew)

The file includes detailed guidelines in various areas, such as:

• Protection of police officers and security guards
• Preserving sanitary conditions in businesses and institutions
• Guidelines for food deliveries
• Guidelines for grocery deliveries
• Treatment of Coronavirus patients in mild condition at home
• Authorized laboratories for Coronavirus diagnosis
• Maternity care