The document, which was obtained by the Hebrew website N12, outlines various steps that would need to be taken in preparation for a second wave.Many health experts have predicted Israel will see another large spike of COVID-19 cases in the winter alongside seasonal flu.
“In light of the morbidity trend and the possibility of a major outbreak, we must increase our efforts and prepare for the actions we will need to take to cope with the coronavirus,” the document states.
According to N12, the plan includes increasing the country’s ability to track where sick people have been and with whom they have interacted in order to quickly stop the infection chain. It also addresses at-risk populations, such as the elderly, and discusses the need to continually review the situation through the Health Ministry’s Magen Avot v'Imahot (Guarding Fathers and Mothers) program.
The Bedouin and foreign workers communities are specifically called out as needing attention since they have had high infection rates.
Regarding the education system, it calls on schools and the Education Ministry to begin preparing for the school year that opens in September 2020. Among the ideas raised: Plexiglas partitions between student desks. The Education Ministry reported on Tuesday night that there are 418 sick students and teachers, and 21,877 in isolation. Some 137 schools are closed.
N12 said that the document also highlights the need for continued dialogue with countries that are leading the fight against the virus and learning from them about how they face various challenges of returning to routing.Some have questioned whether the recent surge in coronavirus cases is already the second wave, but most health experts understand that Israel is not yet experiencing a second coronavirus wave because the first never ended.As of Wednesday morning, there were 2,761 people who have active cases of the virus. The majority have mild symptoms, according to the Health Ministry.