http://www.jpost.com/israel-news/controversy-over-schools-opening-as-third-lockdown-begins-653426
Third COVID-19 lockdown begins as controversy surrounds schools opening
Edelstein: reopening all grades ‘will surely extend the closure’ •
Teachers’ Union head: ‘we will not hesitate’ to sanction and strike
By HANNAH BROWN DECEMBER 27, 2020 23:55Email Twitter Facebook fb-messenger
Police officers enforcing third lockdown on inter-city roads (photo
credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Police officers enforcing third lockdown on inter-city roads
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
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As Israel entered its third lockdown at 5 p.m. on the issue of education
was front and center, as the government hammered out details of how
schools would operate during the closure.
The Knesset Education Committee, led by MK Ram Shefa, approved a change
to the proposed lockdown regulations on Sunday morning that would allow
students in grades 5-10 to continue learning at school.
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Last Thursday, the proposal called for those students to stay home while
preschools and grades 1-4 and 11-12 would study from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m.
In response to an outcry from parents, municipal authorities and medical
experts, the 1 p.m. deadline was changed later that day and it was
decided that students would study a full day.
The other main lockdown regulations that went into effect include the
closure of retail businesses (except for groceries and pharmacies),
except for deliveries.
Businesses that do not receive customers will be allowed to remain open
at 50% capacity or up to 10 employees. Gatherings will be limited to a
maximum of 20 people outdoors or 10 people indoors. Individual sports
activities will be allowed with no distance restrictions.
The additional education revision approved Sunday will allow grades 5-10
to operate a full day on their in-person learning days and to study on
Zoom the rest of the time. The high schoolers will study in capsules and
be allowed to interact with up to three other capsules; teachers will be
able to instruct up to four capsules.
The government has 48 hours from Sunday morning to submit a revised
proposal for committee approval; until then, students will continue to
study as usual.
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Parents’ groups welcomed the change, with the National Parents
Organization saying in a statement prior to the decision: “We will not
allow the members of the cabinet to continue abusing our children.”
Parent advocates also highlighted a report by Elem, the organization
that helps youth in distress, which said that there has been a 41%
increase in adolescents experiencing serious mental health issues, as
well as a sharp rise in substance abuse.
BUT HEALTH Ministry officials were unhappy. Health Minister Yuli
Edelstein said in response to the decision that “lockdown requires
personal responsibility from each and every one of us. Unfortunately,
not everyone acts responsibly. We saw this today in the Knesset’s
Education Committee, in the unfortunate decision to resume schooling in
all classrooms – something that will surely extend the closure.”
Coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash also disagreed strongly with
this decision, saying in a briefing, “According to our recommendation,
the education system should have been closed. The government’s decision
was to allow the opening of kindergartens, grades 1-4 and 11-12. Any
additional opening of classrooms means extending the duration of the
closure and lowering its effectiveness.
“In my opinion, it is right to make the closure as short as possible, to
limit activities and not to conduct studies along with other age
groups,” he said.
At the same time, Education Minister Yoav Gallant instructed the
director general of his ministry to give immediate notice to the
directors of the districts and of the educational institutions,
according to which the education system will continue to operate on
Monday as it did on Sunday.
But as of Sunday night, two factors threatened to derail the wishes of
so many parents hoping their children would be able to study during the
third lockdown.
The first was uncertainty about pupils in red and orange cities and/or
neighborhoods, according to the traffic-light plan of differential
regulations depending on the morbidity rates in different areas.
It was not clear which cities and neighborhoods were actually designated
red and orange, since the traffic-light colors are supposed to be
updated weekly on Thursday and the instructions derived from them are
supposed to be valid for an entire week – but the colors were not
updated last week. The last time the stoplight plan was calculated, more
than half of the country (56%) was in red or orange areas.
The other factor that might interfere with the plan was a labor dispute
announced Sunday by the Teachers Union, in protest over teachers not
being vaccinated yet.
Yaffa Ben-David, secretary general of the Teachers Union, said Sunday
that, “if there are no vaccines, there will be no studies – we will not
agree to abandon the health of teaching staff... It is not possible for
teaching staff to sacrifice themselves while all Israeli citizens are in
lockdown and the state will not take care of their health protection.
There is no reason not to vaccinate the teaching staff. “
She noted that, “just a few days ago, the Health Ministry published a
report according to which teaching staff are at a high risk of
infection, at a rate of 50% relative to the general population.” She
said that the union would not hesitate to take further steps. “If the
problem is not resolved, we will not hesitate and take organizational
measures – including sanctions and a strike.”
IN HIS BRIEFING, Ash said that “within a few days” a decision would be
made about when and how teachers would receive vaccinations. Edelstein
announced Saturday night that he had instructed the director general of
his ministry, Prof. Chezy Levy, to facilitate the vaccination of
teaching staff.
When the teachers do get vaccinated, it may be in a new vaccination
center that the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality is opening with Tel Aviv
Sourasky Medical Center on January 4 at Rabin Square.
The center will include an immunization tent with 20 stands that will be
operated by the hospital’s nursing staff. Initially, the center will be
open to residents of the city aged 60 and over, and later to all
Israelis. When it opens, it will operate from Sunday through Thursday
from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The center is expected to vaccinate about 5,000 people a day in the
first phase; later, that will increase. The vaccines will be given
according to the guidelines set by the Health Ministry.
“Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, the municipality has been
mobilized to protect the health of the residents and to maintain a sense
of routine alongside the virus,” said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.
“We have set up an epidemiological research center with over 100
researchers, testing centers in the neighborhoods and now, a huge
vaccination center in collaboration with Ichilov [hospital, Sourasky
Medical Center in Tel Aviv],” he said. “We will continue to be at the
forefront of the struggle for the benefit of the city’s residents and
all the citizens of the country.”
“As we enter the third closure, it is clear to all of us that our main
goal right now is to vaccinate as many civilians as possible,” added
Ichilov’s director and former coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu.
“Through Mayor Ron Huldai, who immediately signed on with the Rabin
Square vaccine center, we will continue to vaccinate thousands of people
a day in the huge compound we are setting up with the municipality, all
for one purpose – to finally get rid of coronavirus.”
The system for scheduling appointments for the new complex is still
being determined, and will be published later.
“We’re completing the first week of coronavirus vaccinations with an
unbelievable number of 280,000 vaccinated people,” Edelstein tweeted
Sunday, adding that 71,000 people were vaccinated during the weekend
alone. “We’ll continue to keep Israel safe,” he said. The Maccabi Health
Fund reported Sunday that today 21,009 patients have been vaccinated.
Since the beginning of the operation, 82,077 Maccabi members have been
vaccinated. Tomorrow, it promised that the vaccine rate will increase
even more.
Since the beginning of the vaccination operation, 445,277 appointments
have been set for 227,538 Maccabi members.
ISRAEL IS once more first place worldwide in vaccine distribution,
according to the tracker by Our World in Data. Edelstein, who is in the
Likud Party, celebrated the accomplishment in a statement targeting
unity government partner Blue and White, saying that, “While Blue and
White practices populism and irresponsibility at the expense of public
health, we’re working hard and have led Israel to the first place in the
world regarding vaccine distribution and concern for public health.”
While the hospital system has not collapsed, Jerusalem area hospitals
are full. The Health Ministry on Sunday morning directed Magen David
Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, to stop sending
coronavirus patients to hospitals in Jerusalem in an attempt to reduce
pressure on them. Patients from the Jerusalem area will be sent to
hospitals in central Israel starting Sunday, including Sheba Medical
Center, Beilinson Hospital and the Sourasky Medical Center.
As of Sunday morning, the ministry reported that from midnight Friday to
midnight Saturday, 2,636 cases were diagnosed and another 1,097 were
added between midnight Saturday and 7 a.m. on Sunday. Six hundred and
four patients were in serious condition and 136 were on ventilators.
Since the pandemic began, 3,222 have died.
While Edelstein expressed concern over the decision to keep all school
grades open, he praised the teams in charge of the vaccinations
countrywide, saying: “But I trust you, citizens of Israel. If we all act
responsibly, we will see the great light at the end of the plague.”
Blue and White said: “In all countries of the world, the education
system also operates in a quarantine. Netanyahu, who has avoided dealing
with hot spots and raising fines for narrow political reasons, continues
to use corona for his political needs.
“We will not be preached to by those who bring hundreds of thousands of
families to poverty and have not passed a budget just to escape the law
and harm the justice system.”
Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.