The important message that Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin have shown in terms of the vaccine is key in combating those who refuse to take it or who spread rumors and conspiracies.
By JPOST EDITORIALUpdated: DECEMBER 21, 2020 21:38Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets vaccinated for the novel coronavirus.(photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)
Israel is vaccinating people against Covid-19 and has done an unprecedented job in obtaining vaccines, bringing them to the country and becoming one of the first countries that seems to be on track to slowing down the pandemic through inoculation.This is good news and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz deserves credit. They have done the right thing and along with Israeli society, the IDF, the Health Ministry and other institutions, including phenomenal efforts by this nation’s medical personnel, deserve our thanks.Israel has been through a difficult year and we are not out of the shadows yet. Covid-19 is still a major threat – and reports of a new strain in the United Kingdom, Denmark and South Africa causing border closures across Europe show that there remains great uncertainty.Nevertheless, we have tried to strike a balance between the need to fight the health emergency and to keep some of our services running and open. This has not been easy. People have been unable to travel during holidays, they have missed family, and they have not been able to have normal weddings, celebrations or even funerals. Our lives have been turned upside down. Small business owners, the self-employed, the tourism industry and many others have been hit hard and to some extent even gutted.We could have done better, but hindsight is always twenty-twenty. We cobbled together a response and went through several phases – and now we are where we are, as a variety of diverse and complex communities.We have no doubt that the Covid-19 czars such as Ronni Gamzu, Nachman Ash, Moshe Bar Simon Tov and Chezy Levy all made their best efforts at stopping this virus and easing the pain and suffering of Israelis. The government was too often too crippled and plagued by petty politics, a problem that likely could not have been avoided with a prime minister on criminal trial.Nevertheless, the important message that Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin have shown in terms of the vaccine is key in combating those who refuse to take it or who spread rumors and conspiracies.This is a testament to our capabilities. We have shown that Israel is capable of being one of the leading countries in this battle. While some communities did not – and still do not – obey the guidelines, for the most part there has been social cohesion. We have not let racism, rumor mongering or hate get the better of us.Now we face new stringencies as the government has decided to ban the entry of all non-citizens into Israel and require all citizens who return to quarantine in coronavirus hotels as the new coronavirus strain raises serious concerns. This decision is coming into effect on Wednesday. If hotels run out of room, then the Health Ministry will begin to find other facilities or ask people to quarantine at home.With almost 3,000 new infections a day, we are already in the middle of a serious new wave of the pandemic. We need to get this under control. Our short-lived freedom to go to malls and parks may be ending. We have not eaten in restaurants for most of the past year – and some people no longer remember what it feels like to sit in the cinema or attend a concert or opera show.While the beginning of the vaccination is a blessing, we cannot become complacent. Israelis need to continue to maintain social distancing, to wear masks and to refrain from congregating at weddings or other gatherings. We need to keep up our vigilance.“Since last night’s meeting, the mutation has been spreading in many countries,” said Ash, the current coronavirus commissioner. “We need to reduce the viral mass entering the country as much as possible. We are currently examining in England what exactly this virus [mutation] is, whether it is resistant to the vaccine and other questions.”The uncertainty caused by this virus will remain for some time. But we will continue on. Because we are Israel. And we are in this together.
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