Coronavirus: Israeli hospitals to open daycares for children of staff

"The people of Israel owe a huge debt to the medical teams who work hard to ensure our well-being, and we are committed to helping to make their jobs easier," said Ophir Akunis.

By AARON REICH
The Hillel Yaffe hospital in Hadera. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Hillel Yaffe hospital in Hadera.
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
As the coronavirus makes the lives of hospital workers busier than ever before, Labor and Social Welfare Minister Ophir Akunis ordered hospitals in Israel to open daycare centers for children up to three years of age.
"The people of Israel owe a huge debt to the medical teams who work hard to ensure our well-being, and we are committed to helping to make their jobs easier," Akunis said in a statement.
Due to the ever worsening coronavirus outbreak, the Health Ministry issued new guidelines that included the closing of all schools throughout the country. This has proved taxing for many working parents, who now need to keep an eye on their children as well.
In order for the daycare centers to be in line with the Health Ministry's regulations, each daycare will include no more than 10 people, meaning eight children and two caregivers. Children are deemed eligible if they are being raised by a single parent on staff or by a couple that are deemed essential to the hospital's operations.
The daycares are slated to open in the coming week, and will operate in Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem, Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center, Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon and Shamir Medical Center in Tzrifin.