Only a month ago Kfar Gaza, a southern Israeli community located just five kilometres from the Gaza Strip, was associated with rockets emanating from the enclave and the resilience of its residents who chose to stay in the area despite the constant threat of terror.
Now, however, with the coronavirus raging and the town declared a red-zone, meaning the number of infections there has reached alarming levels, the tiny southern community is on the verge of a full lockdown starting Monday.
On Thursday, Israel's coronavirus cabinet, established with the aim of tackling the crisis, ruled that towns and cities labelled as red will also need to shut down their public institutions, including schools, leaving only "essential businesses" open.
The new regulations also stipulate that residents will be asked to stay indoors and will be banned from going beyond a 500-metre radius set by the cabinet. But the final decision about whether a lockdown will be imposed is slated to occur on Sunday.
'We Deserved It'
For Or Bar-Ilan, a native of the community, these measures make perfect sense, primarily because they could force residents to behave responsibly. "We deserved it. Now, when the situation is acute, people adhere to the regulations but until recently this has not been the case".
Bar-Ilan says that very few cared to put on a face mask, which is mandatory in Israel, social distancing was barely observed, and those who were supposed to be in isolation were constantly seen on the streets and the general feeling was that "it will not happen to us".
But it did. According to official data, Kfar Gaza, which only has 850 residents now has 200 people currently in self-isolation. Five people have tested positive for COVID-19.
Although the numbers might seem relatively low, in a community where residents eat together in the same canteen, attend the same swimming pool, and go to the same supermarket, exposure is very high and that means a further spread of the disease is only a matter of time.
Israel recently occupied the top spot in the world, registering 199.3 new coronavirus infections per million citizens every day, and the fear is that the situation will continue to spiral out of control if strict measures are not implemented.
"I was born and raised in Kfar Gaza and I went through several wars and many rounds of escalation but I don't remember anything of this sort. Luckily for us, we do know how to act in emergency situations", says Bar-Ilan.
Coping with the Outbreak
Soon after the cabinet released a full list of cities that would face a lockdown, the community's authorities decided on a number of measures designed to curb the spread of the disease. Their emergency unit, used to handling security threats, was swiftly transformed into a department that caters to the needs of those affected by the virus.
The community's canteen stopped hosting gatherings and traditional Shabbat dinners, offering home deliveries instead, while volunteers, Bar-Ilan included, distribute medicine and food to those in isolation.
Yet, Bar-Ilan says those measures are taking a toll.
"Our communal life is based on plenty of outdoor activities. And that's why our houses are relatively small, simply because they were not designed for a long indoor stay. Now, however, families with three or four children are forced to stay at home and this is putting a burden on many".
However, despite difficulties, Bar-Ilan sees many glimpses of solidarity.
"It's amazing to see how the entire community joins efforts in an attempt to help each other at a time of a crisis. Nobody is left behind. If the lockdown ends up taking place, we will embrace it as we understand it is our only way to save the situation".
The coronavirus cabinet is set to meet on Sunday to decide upon the final list of towns and cities that will be put under lockdown.
This comes amid alarming numbers of daily infections, with Israel registering thousands of sick patients per day. Thursday saw a record number of infections, with over 3,000 reported cases.
