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On Sunday, open-air shopping malls and street-side stores all over Israel announced that they will be resuming operations from Monday morning. This is the way for owners of such shopping centers and stores to rebel. According to them, they will not adhere to the Health Ministry regulations.
Just recently, the ministry had forbidden the openings of small stores and shopping centers alike. However, some other parts of the economy were allowed to reopen on Sunday.
The announcements by these business owners started out on Saturday night. “I am Shulman” movement posted a video on Facebook informing that they will begin operating from 9 a.m. on Monday. This is a movement that takes a stand for people who own small and medium businesses, and self-employed people. One of the members in the video encouraged people to step outside their houses and earn a living despite the regulations outlined by the coronavirus cabinet.
The member also went on to say that the government has lost their minds. He also questioned why schools and cosmetic services were being allowed to resume operations when the former was presenting a great risk.
The “I Am Shulman” movement has declared that they will be providing legal services to businesses that go ahead and reopen their businesses. The member in the video added that the mayor of Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, Haim Bibas, along with the chairman were going to fully support the small businesses and shopping centers that decided to resume operations. He stated that he had been reassured by the two men themselves of their unequivocal backing in this matter.
The movement also gave an ultimatum to the government. It stated that the government had been granted 24 hours to meet and discuss how they are going to proceed with their ‘delusional’ decision. The members also said that they are awaiting a fair and logical plan from the government and expect to see it on Monday.
The BIG shopping center group joined the bandwagon as well on Sunday morning. It announced that all open-air centers owned by the group will be reopening in all the green cities on Monday. It further revealed that full rent will be demanded along with fees from the businesses that are located in the shopping centers.
Hay Galis, the CEO of the BIG group, informed that the government provided compensation and support to the businesses that suffered due to lockdown. However, he pointed out that the same courtesy was not extended to the group. The CEO added that the group had forgiven rent and let go of management fees as the virus brought the country to a halt.
Addressing the businesses with shops in their centers, the BIG group stated that they did not receive even a single shekel from the government or the businesses during lockdown. The CEO revealed that the group had even tried to convince the owners to protest but, had failed in their efforts. The reason they were unable to make a difference was because no one wanted to take a stand against the decisions of the government.