Armed troops to enforce stay-home order in Israel
Israeli soldiers are enforcing a partial lockdown in the country, where COVID-19 cases have surged.
Israel is deploying armed troops to help enforce a partial lockdown as its number of novel coronavirus cases surged past 3,000 this week.
About 500 IDF troops will join police in “patrolling, isolating and securing areas in Israel,” said the Israel Defense Forces in a statement Friday.
Under emergency regulations that took effect Wednesday, Israelis are barred from venturing more than 100 meters from their homes with some exceptions, such as buying groceries, seeking medical care or going to an approved job. Police have the authority to dole out fines to lockdown violators of 500 Israeli shekels ($139) and jail time for up to six months.
As of Friday morning, the country had confirmed 3,035 cases of the virus and 12 deaths, according to the Health Ministry. About 45 IDF soldiers have been infected and more than 4,000 are in quarantine, the IDF said.
