Tonight (Sunday), Prime Minister Naftali Bennett commented on his Twitter account about the spread of the coronavirus' omicron strain, and said that he expects millions of Israelis to be infected with the variant.
The Prime Minister also referred to the public frustration regarding the new test outline, and said that the government plans to take action to alleviate the situation in the coming days.
"I understand the frustration and listen to it," Bennett said in his opening remarks, adding, "I too have children in the education system, and we too are trying to maneuver in this complex situation."
The prime minister then said that "the omicron is not alpha and not delta. It is contagious to an extent we did not know," and said that from information presented at the cabinet meeting today, it is estimated that between two and four million Israelis will be infected with the current wave.
"This is a storm that is going on all over the world, including countries that have taken a general blockade."
Bennett at the cabinet meeting: "Preparations are underway for drugs, hospital beds, access to vaccines and tests."
Photo: GPO
Bennett stated that the government intends to work to keep the economy as open as possible, while protecting at-risk populations, noting that the government has taken care of the supply of medicines to treat corona patients, and has approved a fourth vaccine dose for at-risk populations.
Regarding the difficulties in the new test outline, Bennett said: "When standing in line it is difficult to see the successes and evaluation steps we have taken, very important steps that will save lives. I understand the frustration, but I ask you to be aware of that as well. "We can allow everyone PCR tests. There is not enough capacity in the laboratories, the answers will be delayed, and in the meantime - the person may infect his environment, so we allow an institutional or home antigen test."
Finally, regarding the cost of the tests, Bennett noted that the government plans to take steps to alleviate the situation, but did not elaborate on them.
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