By: Times of Israel Staff – Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com
Police stepped up enforcement Friday after the tightened coronavirus lockdown took effect, dispersing gatherings, closing stores violating the restrictions, and calling via loudspeaker upon citizens to follow the guidelines.
After the initial lockdown imposed several weeks ago was under-enforced and provided plenty of loopholes to go outside, the tightened closure had an immediate and dramatic effect on movement, with police estimating that roads were 70 percent emptier than normal.
Checkpoints were set up on major highways and within towns and cities. The previous rules had already limited Israelis from venturing beyond a kilometer from their homes, with several exceptions.