Interministerial COVID-19 program to be extended to more of Jerusalem

The extended "Security and Welfare" program, with a budget of NIS 1.5 million, will provide specialized handling of specific neighborhoods, including the city center.

Jerusalemites wearing face masks for fear of coronavirus  walk on Jaffa road in the City Center of Jerusalem on July 12, 2020. Israel has seen a spike of new COVID-19 cases,  cabinet ministers imposed new restrictions on public gatherings in a bid to stem the rising infection rate of the coronavirus (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Jerusalemites wearing face masks for fear of coronavirus walk on Jaffa road in the City Center of Jerusalem on July 12, 2020. Israel has seen a spike of new COVID-19 cases, cabinet ministers imposed new restrictions on public gatherings in a bid to stem the rising infection rate of the coronavirus
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
A joint program between the Defense Ministry, the Labor and Welfare Ministry and the Jerusalem municipality aimed at preventing coronavirus outbreaks that began as a pilot in seven Jerusalem neighborhoods will now be extended to 23 other neighborhoods in the city.
The extended "Security and Welfare" program, with a budget of NIS 1.5 million, will provide specialized handling of specific neighborhoods, including the city center.
The pilot aims to provide specialized treatment of the outbreak to each neighborhood according to its needs and character. Local leaders will be trained in each neighborhood to accompany a few dozen families in quarantine or who have confirmed patients. The leaders will be able to provide for their exact needs, allowing for the specific requirements of each family to be met.
The leaders will help transfer patients to coronavirus hotels and provide those in quarantine with food packages, medicine and entertainment.
"I'm happy to hear that we are already seeing that the pilot achieved good results and lowered the infection rate in the city," said Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
The pilot began in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem in July as the neighborhood had one of the highest infection rates in the city.