A little less than a month and a half ago, Tel Aviv managed to celebrate the Purim holiday as usual: Crowds of celebrators filled the many entertainment spots in the city. The coronavirus outbreak was at its very onset in Israel and people were still allowed to congregate. Since then, Tel Aviv's reality has changed beyond recognition as the coronavirus spread, leading to drastic steps taken in Israel as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

About a month ago, authorities began to impose restrictions and limitations on crowds and gatherings, even leaving one’s home. Thus Tel Aviv, labeled by Israel and the entire world as the “city that never stops,” became paralyzed. The city’s multitude of businesses — including restaurants, bars and hotels — were forced to close their doors. And no one can predict when things will return to normal.

“Now we are sitting on the fence. We weren’t prepared for this scenario,” says Nir Braitman, 36, part owner of two successful bars in the city, Ilka Bar and Cerveza, on the popular Dizengoff Street. On “ordinary” days, Dizengoff is lively and teeming day and night. Braitman, who has been operating for more than a decade in the sphere of bars and party-making, managed to drive through Tel Aviv just before the April 8 Passover closure on the city. He had a hard time taking in the sights he saw.

“I went past the bars, including my own, past the hotels and restaurants; seeing them closed was a sad spectacle. I had never imagined that something like this, the coronavirus, could happen. We were used to working even during wars or military operations, on a more limited scale, true, but people used to come; you could just come over for a beer. Under the present situation, no one leaves the house.”