Three malls opened today (Tuesday) in violation of the guidelines – Bat Yam Mall, the large mall in Petah Tikva and the Big complex in Carmiel. The traffic in them was sparse, and most of the chains sold in takeaway style and took the goods out the door.. The customers who arrived were asked by the guards if we had been vaccinated. Inspectors visited the three centers, handing out fines to store managers.
It is allowed to get a haircut, it is not allowed to gather: the third closure has come to an end // Photo: Shmuel Buharis and Newsenders
In the big mall in Petah Tikva, for example, few chains have opened their stores. Most cafes and restaurants were closed. Hagit Mizrahi from Petah Tikva arrived at the Grand Mall and was disappointed as most of the stores were closed. She said, “We arrived hoping to buy cosmetics and fashion and we are upset that most of the stores are closed. I was sure the parking lot would be blown up and I was deceived.”
On the issue of opening the mall, like two other malls in violation of the guidelines, she said: “I feel confident that I am vaccinated and the people here are being scrutinized carefully. It does not bother me. The traders’ livelihoods should also be considered.”
In contrast, the beautiful client Corcos was furious at the opening contrary to the instructions. She said, “I only came to Super Pharm – an essential store. I did not know that the mall opened contrary to the instructions. It is wrong. What is it here, anarchy? Everyone does what he wants, so where do we go? I only came to Super Pharm, I did not come to shop. From here, I’m going straight home. “
The Commerce Forum sent a warning letter before a petition to the High Court due to “selective enforcement.” The letter was recently sent to the Minister of Internal Security, Amir Ohana, and to the Commissioner of Police, Renz Yaakov Shabtai.
This is a continuation ofRecordings from the cabinet meeting published yesterday on News 12. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aggressive statements about increasing trade enforcement were not given during much more disturbing events, such as funerals and mass weddings in the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors or in cases of Torah study during the closure,” it said.
According to the forum, enforcement is “a coordinated and planned operation, in which considerable police forces were taken, which even amounts to a raid on those shopping complexes. Its purpose is solely to reap media benefits and create a publicity echo for police activity.”
Shahar Turgeman, chairman of the Forum of Chiefs of Commerce and representative of the Green Label Branch Forum, explained yesterday that the decision to open only three malls was due to the difficulty of recruiting vaccinated workers, in addition to the difficulty of returning sick workers. He said, “There were many chains that wanted to open more complexes, but we do not want ghost complexes. We will see how the business progresses.
“Most of the workers were not vaccinated. A significant proportion of the workers are young people who do not want to be vaccinated. There are those who receive Knesset and a black economy has developed here. The country has failed miserably. There should be a directive that whoever does not get vaccinated, will bear the costs of hospitalization if he falls ill. A law should be enacted under which all employers could require employees to be vaccinated or have a rapid corona test done. We need to protect employees and customers. Some employees say they do not have to get vaccinated. Where is the State of Israel with the regulation? There are no positive incentives and no sanctions and nothing. We are working in vain and trying to exist as much as we can, “he said.
According to Turgeman, “We have a country that is a start-up nation, but the conduct of the government is like in the 1980s. There is no incentive for citizens to get vaccinated and there is no incentive for the largest group to refuse, which is the young.”
According to the opening outline of the Commerce Forum, even those who received only the first vaccine and were under 60 could enter malls with a message from the HMO with the summons for the second vaccine.
Asked how they could make sure people did not pass the message to each other, Turgeman replied: “There are those who forge many things, like a passport for example. We have no answer against the scammers, but usually it is on the margins. Let the state create an outline that will not be forged. We “We do not build the system for the sophisticated. We operate a trade with several layers of protection.”
Moshe Rosenblum, CEO of Ofer Malls, which opened the large mall in Petah Tikva, also spoke yesterday about the difficulty of recruiting workers who are in the Knesset.
According to him, “One of the problems in returning the workers lies in the application model. Some stores have difficulty returning workers from the sick leave. In Canada and Germany the sick leave payment goes to the employer who pays the worker, and then the worker cannot say he is not coming to work. The finance minister said that he was probably going to extend the Knesset. “Because of the Knesset, there are those who prefer to stay at home.”
Asked who would check the vaccination certificates in the malls and how they would be able to pass the identity of the people, Rosenblum replied: “The guard at the entrance will check the vaccinators’ certificates. I am not allowed to check the identity card, only the policeman and supervisor.
“The state tells stories that do not come true”
“In addition, it is the certificate issued by the state so we check this certificate. In our open premises every store will check the certificate when the customer comes to the checkout to pay. Whoever does not have a certificate will not be able to pay. I am not looking to do where and where, it is contrary to conscientious order to do kind of Selection, but I am committed to helping stores with their winter inventory. 350,000 workers are in the Knesset.
“Also, our tax revenue is NIS 1.2 billion a week. These are huge sums. The state cannot be without revenue. The state needs money to pay the doctors who kneel under the burden and the police. The state’s revenue cannot be stopped.”
Regarding increasing enforcement: “Why did they not increase enforcement on what was open to date? How am I different from the trading that was open to date? We saw the trade open and I did not see government enforcement. Only when the malls open did the Prime Minister remember? If they decided to cancel the closure, why did they cancel it? I’m not talking about education, which is a different topic. If people can go to the office, then what’s the difference? Why do where and where? The state tells stories that do not come true. Neither the tenants nor we received compensation. Everything is driven by politics. If there is no closure they will open everything, and if there is a closure then everything should be closed. The intelligence minister said the street shops would be open to everyone. What is the difference between street stores and mall stores? “
In recent days, the Ofer malls have approved chains to open the stores they wanted. According to Rosenblum, “So far 40% of the tenants have opened, including the essential businesses. They have opened in the form of a table outside the store or in a one-on-one setting. We are not breaking the law. If vaccinations are not a solution, then let the health minister come and say ‘we were wrong’. “I’m not mad at him. If the vaccination certificate is not valid, then why did we get vaccinated?”