Following a discussion convened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the Ministers of Health, Education and Defense, it was decided tonight (Thursday) that seventh-tenth grades will not return to school this coming Sunday.
During the discussion, senior officials from the Ministry of Health presented their position that the decision made in the Corona Cabinet, according to which seventh- through tenth-grade students will continue with distance learning for another two weeks, should not be changed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked them to examine why it was decided in Britain to close the education system by April, and to return with answers.
“In view of the relatively wide opening of the economy that could lead to an increase in morbidity, and in view of the concerns regarding the impact of the British mutation and increased infection of unvaccinated children and youth, it was decided at this stage “Take a cautious approach and stick to the Ministry of Health’s exit plan,” the Prime Minister’s Office said at the end of the discussion.
As will be recalled, the Corona Cabinet decided on Monday that the second pulse in the outline of exit from the quarantine will be advanced by two days and will take effect this coming Sunday. As part of this pulse, trade and culture facilitation was approved, and it was determined that fifth-, sixth- and eleventh-twelfth-grade students would return to study in border green, yellow and orange authorities.
The Ministry of Health today updated the traffic light scores, for the purpose of determining the various authorities in which kindergarten children and school students will return to school this coming Sunday, as stated, except for grades 7-10. Against the background of the improvement in morbidity trends, changes have been made to the traffic light definitions, in order to increase the number of localities in which they will return to frontal learning in educational institutions. Among other things, it was decided that the continuous score for borderline orange cities would be 7 and below. The required immunization threshold in these localities will continue to be 70% among those aged 50 and over a week since they received the second vaccine. It was further determined that in the calculation of the immunization rate, a deduction will be made by the recovering persons.
The Ministry of Health clarified that these are one-time changes, and that starting next week the intention is to return to the regular traffic light, which will be calculated once a week on Wednesday and will determine the opening of education for a week ahead. The traffic light update requires corona cabinet approval.
Earlier today, the Ministry of Education published the guidelines for holding Purim events in educational institutions next week. According to the outline, in educational institutions that can conduct physical learning in classrooms, the events will take place in the regular group and with the regular staff at the school or kindergarten. In authorities where learning takes place only remotely, it will be possible to hold the events in an open area in regular groups of up to 20 participants, including staff members. The permanent student group will meet with one permanent staff member at all sessions, while the educational staff member will be able to move between four permanent student groups. In excluded green, yellow and orange localities, it will be possible to hold meetings within the framework of the permanent group according to the permitted outline in accordance with the age groups – kindergartens, grades 1-6 and 11-12.
It was further stipulated that students would be able to bring parcel deliveries, but in closed packaging, and they would only distribute them at the end of the school day. However, it is forbidden to set up stalls and hold processions, parades, parties (Adlaide, Happening) and dances that produce a crowd.
The Ministry of Education stated that wearing a costume does not exempt from the obligation to wear a mask over the mouth and nose. However, it was emphasized that extra care should be taken when wearing a mask under a costume, especially for preschoolers, and that children should be allowed to remove the masks from the face safely and comfortably in order to avoid suffocation.
In accordance with the Corona’s guidelines, an outside operator will not be allowed to enter the school grounds or kindergarten unless it is the group’s regular operator in primary or special education. Parents will not be allowed to enter the area of the educational institution, nor will they be able to attend meetings in the open spaces and courtyards within the educational framework.