At the opening of the meeting, Ganz attacked Netanyahu: “To remind you, our previous meetings, which really dealt with human life, were promiscuously recorded and leaked. Instead of working for intensive care units in Corona, instead of helping dying businesses, there are people here who chose to do cheap and embarrassing politics.”
Gantz attacks Netanyahu before the cabinet opens
“It reminded me of how, when I was chief of staff during Operation Eitan, they leaked a classified and sensitive security presentation for political interests, narrow and ugly. “All this, while” IDF soldiers are fighting and killing their lives, “the defense minister continued. “While the people in the envelope are in the emergency rooms day and night, as today the doctors and nurses continue to work hard. Prime Minister, I demand that you make sure that the meetings are not leaked. “
Ganz continued to attack the prime minister, saying that he would not forgive him “for the shameful statement in which you tried to accuse me, that I devoted decades to protecting Israeli citizens at the deliberate risk of human life, only because I did not agree with you, only because I demanded that we hold the meeting.” “I will work for the citizens of Israel and I will protect them from this government, whether it is convenient for others, you or anyone else, or not.”
Netanyahu responded to the defense minister’s remarks: “Since you have already issued a letter and published it, then it does not matter much, but I do not refer to your statements, which in my opinion are neither true nor relevant.”
Netanyahu: “Examining our steps according to the balance between vaccines and disease” // Photo Archive: GPO
Netanyahu said today at a meeting of the Corona cabinet that the economy should be opened up gradually, against the background of the decline in morbidity data. “We must not push for a quick and irresponsible opening of the economy for political reasons, which would endanger the lives of many Israelis,” he said.
At the meeting, Netanyahu presented his plan to leave the quarantine, which he said he worked on alongside Health Minister Yuli Edelstein and his ministry’s experts. “First of all, the borders of the country must be closely monitored at sea, in the air and on land. We may also need certain adjustments in the area of air,” he said.
During the meeting, even before the Prime Minister left the discussion, a presentation by the Ministry of Health was presented, in which several actions proposed by the Corona’s Commissioner, Prof. Nachman Ash, to encourage vaccines were presented. One of the actions is to give financial incentives to the health funds, tourism offices and medical and nursing staffs who will bring people aged 50 and over who have not yet been vaccinated, to receive the vaccine against the virus.
Opening of vaccines to the entire population, about a week ago // Photo: Moshe Ben Simhon, Newsenders
Another action that Ash proposes is to promote legislation on mandatory vaccination requirements or perform tests to detect the virus in workplaces where there is potentially great exposure to patients, such as in hospitals, schools and public transport. An insured who does not show up for the first vaccination will receive a joint call from the local authority and the HMO. In addition, legislation will be promoted that will make it possible to share with the local authorities lists of citizens who have been vaccinated or recovered.
“I present an optimistic picture, but cautious optimism,” said Prof. Ash. “There is a decrease in morbidity, but looking ahead one should beware of irresponsible opening that will lead to an increase in morbidity. Another encouraging figure is the number verified per day. Any decrease in the figure is important, and you see the effect of closure on the figure. This is also reflected in traffic lights. “And the green, and I hope that this trend will continue. However, in the difficult number of patients, the decline is slow. The burden on the hospitals is still large,” he said.
“Second, the economy must be gradually opened up through a green passport,” the prime minister added. “We will open the economy in two stages: first stage, starting next week; In the second stage, about two weeks later. “We will allow benefits for the vaccinated so that they can enter hotels, museums, cultural shows, restaurants, pools, malls, football and basketball games, fly abroad and more. With the green passport they come back to life.”
In the third and final phase of Netanyahu’s proposal, there will be a national campaign to vaccinate people aged 50 and over who have not yet been vaccinated: “I remind you of the most dramatic figure, according to which 97% of the dead and 93% of seriously ill people are in this group.” According to him, it will be necessary to bring about Bezeq legislation that will allow the local government to receive the data on citizens who have not yet been vaccinated, thus encouraging them to be vaccinated.
Blue and white: To close on Purim
The party’s decision was made out of a risk assessment, according to which many gatherings will be held to celebrate the holiday, which requires prior preparation by the public, according to the party.
According to the outline agreed upon in recent weeks between the Ministries of Health and Culture and Sports, cultural performances, museums and public libraries will resume operations next week, on 23 February. According to the outline, cultural performances throughout the country will return to action while adhering to the outline of the green character. Competitive sports will return starting next week, in accordance with the morbidity data and subject to a government decision.
Details of the exact layout, including the conditions of entry to museums and libraries, will be published in the coming days. The outline will be activated subject to the level of morbidity and government approval. This is the first beat in the opening outline, and later the audiences will expand and the numbers will be increased as part of the opening.
“As I promised, the world of culture will be one of the first to open up after the prolonged closure, in the green passport outline we formulated with the Ministry of Health and on the assumption that morbidity data will allow,” said Minister Trooper. “I demanded that a date be set for the opening of the culture in order to prepare for the opening as the world needs it. The culture must return to action and support the tens of thousands of workers who experienced a difficult period, thus giving them and the general public, who are thirsty for its return, some oxygen.”
On the issue of returning sports, Trooper said: “This is important news and a decision we fought for for those thousands who engage in competitive sports. We will continue to work in every way for the athletes and for the huge sports audience in Israel.”
At the meeting, the Ministry of Health intends to insist not to advance the planned reliefs, which will begin next week, arguing that this will continue the battle for trade opening. As part of the restrictions, street shops will be opened without a green sign, and grades 5-6 and 11-12 will be returned to yellow, green and orange localities. In addition, gyms, recovering gyms, cultural and sports events, museums, malls and Big Centers will be open to the vaccinated and recovering.
Against the background of the approval of the relief plan and the expectation to open gyms in a week and a half, Edelstein said: “The gyms will open soon. In your small decision you will decide whether you will be part of the celebration or stay behind: just give a shoulder to the vaccine.”
The Minister of Health’s calls in recent days that those who have not been vaccinated will not be included in the green label outline and will not be able to enter places such as gyms and shows, have led to a slight increase in recent days in the number of vaccinated. According to data from the Ministry of Health, the number of Israelis who received the first vaccine dose is 3,832,387, which is 41.59% of all Israelis. The number of Israelis vaccinated in the second dose is 2,464,280, which is 26.74% of all Israelis.