Israel to tighten lockdown as coronavirus cases soar

Israel will tighten lockdown restrictions in a bid to reverse the sharp rise in coronavirus infections that’s taking place as vaccine supplies dwindle. The cabinet voted to close all schools and non-essential businesses for two weeks, beginning midnight Thursday. Airline travel will be permitted only for those who purchased tickets before. A partial lockdown, which began Dec. 27 and restricted movement and banned most client-facing business activity, hasn’t managed to tame the virus. While Israel says it has inoculated about 15% of the population with a first dose of vaccine, it is running low on supply. Second doses have been set aside for those already immunized, but the government has warned that there will be a lull in new inoculations until more supplies arrive.<br/>