In last week's essay, below, you saw how Israelis reacted to an official lockdown requirement for the Jewish holiday, Purim--February 24-25, 2021. That lockdown, public officials said, was necessary to keep the Corona pandemic from spiking. Officials were concerned that Israel's Purim parties would act as super-spreaders. Officials feared social-distancing and mask requirements would be ignored during parties.
The government semed to believe a Purim lockdown was a great idea. It wasn't. It failed.
Israeli reaction to a Purim lockdown seemed to be as close to open rebellion as anything Israel has seen during this pandemic. First, despite the lockdown, few parties were stopped. Every city in Israel saw lockdown violations.
In addition, some party-goers went so far as to attack police who tried to stop them from partying. Israelis seemed fed up. They were, it would appear, ready to fight for their right to party.
That was 12 days ago. Since then, Corona cases have not spiked. New cases have fallen.
This was good news, indeed. It meant that health officials could breath a sigh of relief. Their worst fears had not materialized.
As part of that relief, Israel's Corona Czar, Prof. Nachman Ash, has now declared there will be no lockdown for Israel's next national election on March 23rd. He also announced there would be no lockdown for Israel's next holiday celebration, Pesach (Passover) (here).
Ten hours later, we saw yet another announcement: for the Pesach seder, "a gathering of more than 20 people in a closed space will be possible" (here).
This was very good news. But was it wise? Pesach is more than two weeks away. It begins on the night of March 27th. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that no one can predict anything during a pandemic for a period of time two weeks out. How do officials know there will be no new covid case spike between now and then?
Apparently, announcing 'no Pesach lockdown' more than two weeks in advance of Pesach causes Prof Ash no concern. He must feel certain there will be no spike in new Corona cases within the upcoming two weeks. Does he know something the rest of Israel doesn't?
My guess is, his announcement was an attempt to extinguish any chance for a public Corona rebellion. After all, no holiday lockdown means no public anger over Corona rules. No public anger means no pressure to protest or openly defy or openly attack authorities over Corona issues.
Does this mean Pesach will be free of public anger over Corona restrictions? Does it suggest there will be no reason for a "Pesach Corona rebellion"? More important, does it mean we're finally headed for some good news about Corona?
Stay tuned. This pandemic is not over.
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