Prepping the Lockdown to Look Successful?

The cost must be catching up to them.
The Ministry of Health just decided (they announced it on their Telegram channel - text below) that from now on, all Corona testing will only be done with a referral (aka hafnaya) from the testee's kupat cholim (HMO). No more testing without it.
I don't know if that means the Home Front Command is going to stop the walk-in and drive-thru testing sites around the country, or if they will just change the way they operate and continue the operation just with the requirement of a referral. 
It isn't a big deal to get the referral, - until now the kupat cholim have been giving them out no questions asked. So this is only going to accomplish getting more people to call the kupat cholim. That can become a hassle  as the phone lines of the HMOs have all been overloaded recently. Unless the HMOs are being instructed to be more discerning with the referrals for Corona tests.
Additionally, the HMOs are being instructed to not give out Corona tests to anyone who already had Corona, unless there is a clinical reason to do so, rather than just due to exposures. They have to be sick, I guess, with symptoms, to get a Corona test.
They must want to cut down on the testing. Not sure why, other than maybe cost. Or they want to slash the statistics that have gotten out of hand and out of control (hence, the lockdown). Making it more difficult to get tested will bring the numbers down and give the lockdown the appearance of being a success. 
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הודעת משרד הבריאות:
עדכון ההתוויה לביצוע בדיקות קורונה
היום 7.1.21 עודכנו ההתוויות לבדיקות קורונה. בהתאם לעדכון יש לקבל הפניה מקופת החולים לצורך בדיקת קורונה (מאתר קופת החולים או מהמוקד בהתאם להנחיית קופת החולים).
תבוטל התווית הדיגום החופשי.
כמו כן בהתאם להוראות, אין לדגום אדם שהוגדר כמחלים מקורונה בבדיקת קורונה (PCR) אלא אם קיים חשד קליני לתחלואה בנגיף ולאחר שיקול דעת פרטני. רצ״ב המסמך המעודכן.
דוברות משרד הבריאות
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