A woman jumps from a boat into the Red Sea, off the shore of Eilat, Israel, June 12, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Amir Cohen.

As the tourism industry collapses across Israel due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s southernmost city and popular vacation hub Eilat has taken a major blow.

Located on the shores of Red Sea, Eilat has long been one of Israel’s top tourist destinations, laden with hotels, entertainment venues and restaurants. It is especially noted as a mecca for scuba divers and underwater sports enthusiasts.

Now, Israeli news site Walla reports, with Eilat’s main industry in free fall, the unemployment rate in the city has reached 70%.

Eti Karhili — the director of human resources at the major hotel chain Isrotel — said that last week, after she left her office and saw the empty hotel and tourist areas, the magnitude of the crisis hit her full force.

“The tears flowed out of me,” she said. “There was a feeling of the end of the world.”

“The city looks deserted, empty,” she added. “In the area of ​​hotels and attractions everything is dark.”

Eilat’s Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi said aid from the government is essential to save Eilat from complete collapse.

“This is chaos,” he said.

The tourism workers, he noted, “are not residents who earn high salaries. They have no financial reserves. This is a terrible situation.”

Ronen Mor, who owns two restaurants in Eilat, simply said, “The city is on its knees.”

“There is no light at the end of the tunnel in this city,” he asserted. “There is no support for the business owners. … I do not know how to get out of this crisis.”

Amir Levi, who has worked at a pub for a decade and is now on unpaid leave, said, “From a vibrant night life, I’ve moved to staying home all day. I’m trying not to think about it at the moment. Right now, I’m concerned about how I’ll get through the month.”

The collapse of the tourism industry has resulted in a domino effect, with the entire economic ecosystem crashing along with it.

Levi Diamant, for example, who worked for a local newspaper, is also out of work.

“There is no life in the city, it’s a terrible crisis,” he said. “The big problem is not knowing when it will end.”