Such measures will cost Israel's economy about three billion shekels ($932.6 million) a week, the Finance Ministry said. The economy is expected to shrink 4.5 percent in 2020, though the Bank of Israel has said the contraction could reach 5 percent should the COVID-19 crisis prompt more curbs. With a population of nine million, Israel has so far reported more than 385,000 cases of COVID-19 and 3,150 deaths. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it had found four people infected with the new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in Britain. The new lockdown comes with Israel's vaccination drive already underway.

Source: bd News24 December 24, 2020 14:37 UTC