1st burger

Damascus Gate today

The week has started and the sunny summer weather is upon us. In the afternoon, it's 26 degrees but nighttime is chilly ... 10 degrees. Most people going out still wear a sweater or jacket ... while it gets terrible hot under the sun, the sweater serves to keep the chill out in the shadows and shade.

I had the chance to go out into the New City today after 7 weeks of lockdown at home. Some places have changed ... obviously the Municipality took advantage of the lockdown to renovate and alter some public squares and repair some roads. Along the way I could see people wearing masks ... but like in the Old City, people think masks are meant to cover their mouths only. All their noses were sticking out. What use is the mask then? Police motor squads were everywhere along Jaffa Street but not one police stopped these people. intact the police themselves wee wearing their masks with noses sticking out. Someone should make a study of this phenomenon.

Iwo's on Hillel Street

I managed to buy my essentials and on my way back I saw Iwo's Burgers opened. After 7 weeks eating only bread and an occasional instant noodle, I thought I'd treat myself to an Iwo meal ... a 400g beef burger. No one was allowed to enter the restaurant. Orders are made on a computer screen outside and the cook receives the order on his computer inside. He happened to be our parishioner. Once the burger was ready, a delivery boy brought the takeaway pack out to me and I paid him. The burger tasted so good ... the 1st I've had in almost 2 months.

Saturday evening saw another massive demonstration in Tel Aviv against the economic crisis caused by the lockdown. Despite thousands of people gathering in one public square, social distancing was kept and demonstrators wore masks. That's social responsibility.

Jaffa Street today

In another move to normality, the govt will vote to reopen shopping malls, parks and gyms by Friday. Sounds good but everything depends of people's civic consciousness by wearing masks and keeping distances ... which is not always easy to enforce when crowds are big. Just today I saw 4 policemen stop an arab for not wearing a mask (200 shekel fine) but 5 others without masks walked past.