Towards the expansion of the green classroom - the Ministry of Education announced that it will begin today (Sunday) to distribute kits of rapid corona tests (antigen) to kindergarten children, ages 6-3.
However, it must be said that the expansion of the program at these ages has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister.
Also, starting today, tests will also be distributed in yellow cities.
The green class program in elementary schools in green cities was already launched on Sunday last week, and as part of it, the isolation days of students living in green communities are reduced.
According to the procedure, in a classroom where a verified patient is discovered, the class students are examined on the first day by a PCR test, which is performed at Home Front Command positions or at the health funds.
Students study in class with a mask (archive), Photo: Dudu Greenspan
Students remain in isolation until a negative answer is received - after which they return to the classroom routine, with the obligation to perform rapid antigen tests daily (distributed by the Ministry of Education) for six days.
On the seventh day, another PCR test is performed, and if it is negative as well - the tests will end.
As stated, so far it has not been approved to apply the plan to the children as well.
The one who experienced this firsthand was the Tel Aviv Municipality, which wanted to be the pioneer and run the program as early as last week - but was refused.
Mayor Ron Huldai pointed the finger at the Ministry of Health, writing: "The bureaucracy has won the creativity. Unfortunately, and despite our desire to start the green classroom outline tomorrow and the distribution of antigen tests in the city's kindergartens - the Ministry of Health does not allow us to do so. All we have to do is wait. "
According to the latest traffic light, there are 168 green authorities.
The Ministry of Education stated that to date, about 2.1 million rapid test kits have been distributed in 1,510 elementary schools, and an additional 600,000 kits will be distributed later.
As mentioned, as of today, assessments are also distributed to kindergartens in 128 green authorities.
The distribution will also take place in ultra-Orthodox cities (Beit Shemesh, Beitar Illit, Bnei Brak, Modi'in Elite).
Corona test in Ashdod // Photo: Liron Moldovan,
Additional data show that the percentage of exemptions from isolation in the education system is on a steady upward trend - whether due to the development of antibodies following illness or vaccines.
16% of kindergarten students are exempt from isolation (80,094 students), 27% of first- and seventh-grade students are exempt from isolation (3315,201 students) and 74% of eighth-twelfth-grade students are exempt from isolation (541,008 students).
In addition, about 90% of the education staff are exempt from isolation (267,198 educators).
"Do not take your foot off the gas"
At the same time, Prime Minister Bennett today referred to the encouraging corona plague data, according to which, among other things, the number of patients in critical condition has dropped to 388 people.
Against this background, Bennett said that "the Ministries of Health and Education will submit recommendations following the green class pilot, and tomorrow we will make a final decision on expanding the green class to the entire education system and kindergartens. The new logic is testing instead of isolation."