We are currently amazed at the rise in morbidity in Corona. Apparently, the deaths of the virus were premature and the virus is here to stay. Although a general closure is effective in reducing morbidity, it causes enormous damage to the economy and society.
Therefore, we must adopt a risk management method based on the research knowledge accumulated in Israel and around the world. A leadership that is ready to implement a regular plan of action to deal with the epidemic is required alongside a routine of life, while maintaining transparency and public awareness in order to generate trust and mobilization.
Based on the information that has been accumulated, a few simple rules for implementation can be formulated to reduce the rate of infection in the population. However, the draconian operation of decrees should be avoided and should be differentiated according to different outlines. Much of the contagion occurs in confined spaces.
Therefore, a simple first rule is to encourage open-air stays or ventilated places. Generally, staying outside is preferable to staying inside. In the summer, most of the closed places are air conditioned and therefore have low ventilation. Therefore, people should be encouraged to go to the sea where the density is relatively low, even when there are many people. The seaside is one of the only recreational places that can be offered at no cost and has a beneficial effect on the mind. It is worth remembering that the alternative to the sea is recreation in closed and air-conditioned malls, so it is less preferable.
Similarly, staying in open-air restaurants can certainly be allowed without limiting the number of diners, but with strict spacing. Local authorities may do well to allow restaurant and bar owners to use sidewalks, boulevards and gardens for this purpose. Staying in closed public places requires masking protection, and it would be good if enforcement efforts focused on that.
A second simple rule is to increase the frequency of public transport. Busy buses increase the chances of infection, and increasing the frequency will reduce overcrowding. Efficient public transport also enables employment and accessibility for those who cannot afford to own a private vehicle, and is therefore a means of reducing gaps and inequalities. Furthermore, for a vulnerable population, such as the elderly, this is sometimes the only way to move. Therefore, care should be taken to wear masks on spacious buses that arrive frequently.
One of the sources of the current increase in morbidity appears to be the opening of the event halls, in which the rules of social remoteness are very difficult to maintain. Joy, which is multi-generational (and therefore also vulnerable), in which people dance and often live in air-conditioned halls (which are usually low-ventilated), can be the focus of outbreaks.
That is why the government did well to close the event halls. However, it is necessary to consider how non-crowded cultural events can be held, arranged at an organized meeting and, if possible, ventilated. You may want to look for alternatives to halls such as the use of spacious tents, amphitheaters and the like.
We're already in July, and the beginning of the school year is just around the corner. Opening of schools in early May was initially measured, in small grades and lower ages, and was not accompanied by an increase in morbidity.
The increase in morbidity was evident only after the education system was fully opened, without social remoteness. It is not to be expected that in an educational system where Nablus and Nablus 40 girls and boys sit together very closely there will not be morbidity. The existence of a continuously functioning education system is of great importance. This is important for the economy (parents who can go to work) and critical for children and youth. There must be a way to open the education system so that the classrooms are smaller and more spacious. This is possible but requires the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, the Local Government Center and the Ministry of Finance. It will probably cost money, but will save a lot more.
The writer serves at Hadassah School of Public Health - The Hebrew University
For further opinions of Prof. Ronit Calderon-Margalit