Israel arrives at the start of the school year and the Tishrei holidays in a bad condition • If you want to stop the trend - there are some actions that must be taken now • Interpretation
Corona Laboratory in East Jerusalem, two weeks ago
Photo:
Archive - Oren Ben Hakon
In the coming days, the State of Israel will enter another stage in dealing with the corona plague, since the opening of the school year and the September holidays are a challenge to the war on morbidity rates.
We reach this point in time in a situation not who knows what. The daily number of patients is high, the system of fragmentation of infections still does not work effectively, and decisions about the next steps are delayed.
Although the Home Front Command has begun conducting tests and dealing with morbidity in the red cities, there is still no real increase in the number of tests performed each day, and the epidemiological survey process is faltering and has not reached the required outputs.
Photo: Knesset Channel
The messages to the public are confusing and make it difficult to cooperate with the guidelines. While the prime minister is leaning towards a quarantine-suppressing line because the morbidity is rampant, the commissioner for the fight in Corona is trying very hard to avoid a quarantine and is building an alternative plan, which as of this writing has not yet been approved.
Although the level of morbidity is still high, opening the sky sends the opposite message that "the situation is fine."
So it is, that the situation is really wrong. September has the potential to be a month in which there will be a further escalation in morbidity, a kind of third wave upon a second wave that has not ended, unless we take the necessary steps and act with public responsibility. While the health care system is preparing for the winter months, fearing that the flu and corona together pose a special challenge, we have somewhat forgotten that the start of school is also accompanied by an increase in viral morbidity and holiday gatherings are another contagious potential.
What is required to be done? The school year should open. This has supreme value in my opinion. It is a pity that we are not prepared as required with computers and manpower, what is more I would have improved the outline in the lower grades and kindergartens to reduce the risk of infection.
It is required to immediately approve the projector's plan and activate it. Although this is a challenging program, the degree of success of which is still unclear, if one wants to avoid a widespread closure - alternative measures must be taken, and immediate action must be taken.
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At the same time, unnecessary risks, such as traveling to Uman, should be avoided. I know that for the believing public this is not a simple ruling and I respect their desire to continue the tradition. However, at this time - mental supervision is increasing. I ask the leaders of this public, is the death of one person infected with corona while traveling or a passenger returning from there, worth continuing the tradition? Is it impossible to cancel the trip this year and pray that next year they will be able to observe the custom? This is the public responsibility required of the leaders of this public.
Also, the personal responsibility of each of us is required to prevent infection. Although this message is not new, it has greater significance in the near future. For example, a child who feels unwell is not sent to kindergarten or school.
I hope there will be no closure of one kind or another during the holidays, but it requires us, the citizens, to hold the gatherings in an informed manner - in the open air, not crowded, with a small number of people and while maintaining the familiar rules of distance and hygiene.
We have learned that life with the corona is not simple. If one wants to continue to lead as normal a life as possible (work, education, culture), one needs public responsibility that begins in government and reaches out to the citizen.
The author is a senior faculty member in the Department of Health Systems Management at Ariel University and a former Chief Medical Officer.