Ministers set to discuss further easing of restrictions on education system
The coronavirus cabinet was set to meet on Monday to discuss a further easing of restrictions in the education system, as COVID-19 cases continued to plummet.
Ministers were expected to discuss scrapping the requirement for grades 5-9 to learn in classes of limited size from as soon as next week.
Last week, ministers canceled the requirement for fourth graders to study in “pods,” as well as the requirement for students to present a health declaration signed by their parents to enter the classroom.
The expected move comes amid the country’s world-leading vaccination drive, which has been under threat due to a dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, which has delayed cabinet authorization of a budget to buy additional vaccines.
However, according to Kan Radio, Finance Minister Israel Katz was to meet on Monday with representatives of Gantz to discuss the matter.
Tourism Minister Orit Farkash-Hacohen and the Blue and White leader’s chief-of-staff, Hod Betzer, were to meet with Katz in a bid to confirm the acquisition of millions more doses of coronavirus vaccines.
The meeting came as Pfizer is reportedly threatening to delay further shipments of vaccines to Israel over a delay in payments, warning that the Jewish state could go to the back of the line if it does not pay up, according to Channel 12.
Pfizer said last week that it had completed all vaccine deliveries to Israel under its initial agreement and was working on a new deal to supply more doses to the Jewish state.
Israel is seeking 36 million more doses, Reuters reported. The shots will be for children, once they are deemed eligible, and to use as booster shots for adults, if necessary. Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash said Sunday that he believes Israel will start vaccinating children in the next few weeks.
Pfizer applied Friday for US authorization for 12-15 year-olds.
The procurement of new doses has been delayed by political infighting, however.
Late last month, Gantz canceled a cabinet meeting, which delayed ministers’ approval for purchasing additional vaccines.
Gantz, who heads the Blue and White party, said he canceled the meeting due to Netanyahu’s refusal to allow the appointment of a justice minister. Israel has been without a justice minister since last week, which hampers the Knesset’s ability to pass legislation, among other consequences.
Critics say Netanyahu is delaying the appointment due to the ongoing criminal trial against him, and his desire to appoint a person more amenable to his cause.
Israel in recent months has significantly rolled back coronavirus restrictions by opening businesses, event venues, and other activities, as morbidity levels have dropped amid the vaccination program.
The Health Ministry is widely expected to lift the outdoor mask mandate this month, with Ash telling Army Radio on Monday that he expected it to happen next week.
With over 4.9 million Israelis fully vaccinated, the number of daily coronavirus cases has plummeted by 97 percent, Eran Segal, a computational biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, told Channel 12 on Saturday.
“It is possible that Israel has reached a sort of herd immunity and, regardless, we have a wide safety net,” Segal said.
Segal underlined that, with most Israelis immunized, the reopening of swaths of the economy and gatherings over the Purim and Passover holidays did not contribute to a spike in cases.
If confirmed, Israel could be the first country in the world to hit the milestone of herd immunity.
As of Monday morning, there were 3,484 active coronavirus cases in the country, 137 of which were diagnosed on Sunday.
Of the 37,889 tests carried out on Sunday, just 0.4% returned a positive result.
The Health Ministry said 253 people are in serious condition. The death toll stood at 6,299. According to the ministry, over 5.3 million Israelis have received the first dose of the vaccine, and 4.9 million were administered both doses.