JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday that the country can beat a concerning rise in new coronavirus cases without a nationwide shutdown, but that depends in part on people wearing masks indoors to suppress the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
Bennett told reporters at a news conference that he has instructed police to step up enforcement of the mask rule with high fines for people who violate it. “That’s the fair thing to do, because it’s wrong to have people who are lazy and hurt the rest of the public," Bennett said.
A national shutdown, he said, was “a last resort," a reflection of the government's effort to keep Israel's economy strong. “Stop shaking hands," he advised Israelis, suggesting an