As of Friday, Israel has become the first country to re-instate a nationwide lockdown due to a second wave of COVID-19 infections. The Israeli government has been struggling to contain the outbreak, which has had negative effects on the economy and the political climate. The lockdown will allegedly last until early October and bans all gatherings over a certain number of attendees, including over the upcoming Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot.

These holy days typically see millions of Jewish people gathering for festivities, prayer services, and attending functions at synagogues. However, this year, the fall holidays will be much different. Israel stated that if the reinstatement of lockdown measures is successful, the restrictions will eventually only apply to COVID-19 hotspots throughout the country. Per capita, Israel is dealing with one of the worst outbreaks and total daily new infections in the world, raising concerns over hospital capacity ahead of the flu season. In the past day, Israel has experienced 2,715 new infections, adding to its total number of active cases, which currently sits at 38,000.

Read More: Israel to Shut Down Again as Second Coronavirus Wave Hits