Thursday, may 28, the information is far from the buzz : three students from one of the oldest high schools in Jerusalem, the Gymnasia HaHivri, have been diagnosed positive Covid-19. For the Israelis, who are preparing to celebrate Shavuot, the festival of the giving of the Torah and of the Harvest, the déconfinement is the order of the day. With the reopening of schools, beaches, parks, hotels, and even partial bars, cafes, and restaurants, time is of the euphoria, with within the population, a slogan : “The corona, it is finished ! “
In eight days, in Jerusalem, we went from 3 patients 213
Unfortunately, after the holiday and the weekend that followed, the awakening has been painful. Since then, the curve of the contamination is on the rise again. First city : Jerusalem. This time, the infective foci are not the neighborhoods ultraorthodoxes, but the schools are secular. In a few days, the epidemic, part of the Gymnasia, has affected many schools – from primary to secondary education through kindergartens and nursery. It must be said that this high school is a regional facility. Its thousand students and its teachers come from the whole of the Great Jerusalem, often in transportation to and from school. Not to mention the extra-curricular activities of the afternoon, sport, scout, is carried out with students from other schools, secular or religious, liberal. Result : in eight days, in Jerusalem, we went from 3 patients to 213, students and teachers. A dozen schools are closed ; others are partially, with the children of many classes in containment. While a lot of parents, who were back at work, have seen their employers ask them to stay home.
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But the resumption of the epidemic applies not only to Jerusalem. In fact, the whole country is affected. What are, today, almost 90 schools are closed, with a total of 301 students and profs contaminated. Nearly 14,000 young people and teachers are once again confined.
How did we get here ? If, during the reopening of schools, in early may, the instructions of the ministry of Health have been observed, put in place small groups of students, respect for the distances-social, wearing a mask, very quickly we came back to the life before : overcrowded classrooms where social distancing was only a distant memory, especially among teens, where hugs and hugs have quickly reverted to their right, while the mask was “round the neck” or ornament at the bottom of the bag. The teachers and supervisors were quickly dropped his arms, the inefficiency of their reminders.
At the door of the high school, we all had the mask, but after that, it was hard. As soon as we could, we are taken away from you.
The long period of heat wave that has hit the region has not helped. All the more that due to the extreme heat, the department of Health has announced that all the country’s students were exempt from wearing a mask in class. This episode’s weather and the speed of the déconfinement to put the economy in march were because of the security health. Interviewed by the media, the youth of the high schools each telling the same story, as Talia, a student of the second-to Jerusalem and back to the house : “It is true, at the door of the high school, we all had the mask, but after that, it was hard. It was very hard to put in. Then as soon as we could, we are taken away from you. And then at recess, gestures barriers were forgotten. After the course, it was walks in groups in cafes in the neighbourhood. In fact, today, I am very relieved to be back home with of course Zoom ! “
a tug of war between the ministers of Education and Health
Then we are going to a new closing all the schools in the country ? For the moment, no ! The new minister of Education, Yoav Galant, is against it. According to him, the current levels of contamination do not justify such a measure : “It would be, he said, a sudden irresponsible brought to students, parents, and teachers. “To believe the media, it would be very tucked up against the ministry of Health, accusing them of” spreading panic “. Still it clearly has the support of Benyamin Netanyahu. The Prime minister, while reminding the people about the importance of gestures barriers, has only agreed to the closure of any school where ” not a single case of coronavirus detected “. Well decided to continue the momentum, Yoav Galant has, for its part, announced that the municipalities and school directors had full discretion to decide whether to return or not distance education. This has had the gift to make a dramatic impact on the president of the Union of secondary school teachers. In a letter to his adherents, he denounced ” the quasi-anarchy that prevails in the department, with the announcement of decisions that do not undertake more responsibility but yours, in case of problems related to the Covid-19 “.
The Knesset closed all day, after a member has been tested positive
In the meantime, the virus has made a final victim in the institutions of the country. Yesterday, Thursday, the Knesset has been closed all day, after a member of parliament, Sami Abu Shehadeh, of the arab list, has been tested positive. Does not know the bearer, he would have, in the past few days, met a lot of people. Activities in the course of which, he would not have worn a mask ; several shots of him to prove it. Where his message on Twitter : “I appeal to anyone who has been in close contact with me to isolate and do a test. Follow the instructions of the ministry of Health. The virus still exists and the return to the routine facilitates its spread so fast and important. “
Multiple violations of the prohibition of gatherings of more than 50 people
A message that does not cease to hammer home the Health officials, with the rise of the curve of the contamination, but that the public at large is struggling to integrate. Evidenced by the numerous violations of the prohibition of gatherings of more than 50 people : football fans celebrating the victory of their team ! Evenings of celebrities or crowded beaches, without any social distance. This Friday morning, in Israel, the balance sheet since the beginning of the pandemic was the following : on 17 495 patients Covid-19. 15 013 have healed. 291 have died. 2 191 are sick, including 23 under the respirator.
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