Holiday celebrations were broken up in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Haifa and Rehovot, officials said. Fines were handed out to both participants and organizers of such events. In Rehovot, four people were arrested for assaulting police officers as they broke up a gathering,

Thursday night was the first of a three-night curfew declared by the government for the duration of the Purim holiday, Thursday-Saturday. Between 8:30 p.m. and 5 .a.m. Israelis are not to venture more than a kilometer from home and are forbidden from congregating or visiting others’ homes.

Police said Friday morning that some 1,300 fines had been handed out on the first night of the curfew for violations.

“There was not a city in Israel where we didn’t see violations,” the head of police’s investigations division Ziv Sagiv told Army Radio.

“We all know the repercussions of mass gatherings, but there are still people willing to endanger themselves and their families and leave us under restrictions,” he said. “Those who say, ‘What do you want, I’m vaccinated,’ don’t understand they can still be carrying the virus and infect their surroundings.”

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein tweeted Friday morning: “I am appealing to the handful of people who can harm us all: Stop. Leave the parties until after the coronavirus. Forego the tisches this time. The religious edict of merriment during the [Purim] holiday must not come at the expense of the public.”

Government ministers are expected to halt public transportation to Jerusalem on Saturday night and Sunday to prevent revelers from traveling to the city for Shushan Purim celebrations — a final day of the holiday traditionally celebrated in walled cities such as Jerusalem and Safed.

The rules come as Israel has eased its third nationwide lockdown after a successful vaccination campaign that has thus far seen one-third of its population receive both doses of the vaccine. Infection rates, however, continue to be high, topping 4,000 per day.