Why the Sea of Galilee looks like a horror movie about a plague these days

The discovery of a brain-eating amoeba in the Sea of Galilee has emptied the lake of visitors during the busy Tishrei holiday season. The Health Ministry issued confusing guidelines that led to a wave of cancellations at hotels, restaurants, and attractions, while concessionaires and local authorities claim they were not updated in advance. The director of the Kinneret Union of Cities learned about the incident from the media, and the Dog Beach concessionaire reports losses of millions.

The discovery of a brain-eating amoeba in the Sea of Galilee has emptied the lake of people precisely during the Tishrei holiday season, the busiest time of the year. The Health Ministry issued confusing guidelines that led to a wave of cancellations at hotels, restaurants, and attractions, while concessionaires and local authorities claim they were not updated in advance. Yosef Ben Yosef, director of the Kinneret Union of Cities, learned about the incident from the media like everyone else, despite his responsibility for 65 kilometers of beaches. Ofer Zilberman, concessionaire of Dog Beach, reports losses of 2.5 million shekels from cancellations, including 80 percent of Sukkot bookings. Prof. Moshe Gophen calls the panic excessive, noting that the chance of infection is less than one in three million, with only four cases in Israel in recent years. The article notes that the Sea of Galilee has suffered previous blows: a war against Hezbollah that closed the beaches for over a year, a short war against Iran last summer, and a major war against Iran in March-April this year that ruined Passover. Additionally, an incident of rabid jackals in May caused further panic.