The Knesset's Special Committee on Dealing with the Coronavirus Pandemic leveled scathing criticism at the government's handling of the crisis, saying it has found "organizational and conceptual failures in the decision-making process and subsequent policy."
As of Tuesday morning, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel was 9,006. Sixty Israelis have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, and 683 have recovered from it.
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"A substantial part of the policy has been formulated according to lacking inventory in the [healthcare] system," the panel's interim report read.
For example, "It is difficult to tell whether the [Health Ministry's] objection to mass testing was due to objective regulations or the simple fact that they were lacking a sufficient number of test kits, as well as laboratory readiness."
the committee wondered the same about the use of face masks, saying, "The contradictory statements regarding the use of masks are also consistent with the fact that it wasn't until late March that Israel had enough masks" for public use.
The committee further noted that "substantial decisions were made by a very small forum comprising the prime minister and Health Ministry officials, and eventually National Security Council and Finance Ministry officials, something this committee believes reflects a conceptual failure.
"The National Security Council does not have at its disposal unique organizational tools to handle the coronavirus crisis and the political echelon should not be making 'rapid decision as we go' when addressing a far-reaching and multidimensional crisis such as this one," the committee stated.
The panel, headed by Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah, further castigated the government over the fact that "despite knowing that the pandemic would arrive in Israel and despite having several known emergency administrations in place, it failed to put together, prior to the outbreak in Israel, a designated task force, nor has it appointed a point-person to coordinate between all the bodies involved in the effort" to curb the pandemic racing across the Jewish state.
Moreover, "To date, the government has failed to name a 'coronavirus cabinet' comprising the relevant ministers, similar to the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet that acts, in times of routine and emergency both, as a decision-making forum."
The committee recommended forming an independent national crisis management body – separate from a similar unit that exists in the Prime Minister's Office – and placing at its helm "an individual man with experience in managing large public systems, who will head a team of professional in a manner similar to that of the General Staff."
The committee noted that the "IDF's Spokesperson Unit and Home Front Command, as well as civilian communications consultants, must be mobilized as part of this effort."
'Health Ministry not up to the task'
The panel criticized the Health Ministry dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, saying its officials, and primarily Director Moshe Bar Siman-Tov were unable to provide it with answers on critical issues, such as the rate in which the virus was spreading in Israel or the true availability of ventilators.
"The committee was less than impressed with the Health Ministry's level of data collection and analysis, as presented to us."
The report further urged the government to allow the economy – scaled back to under 30% as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the virus – to gradually return to full activity.
The move has created an unprecedented 24% unemployment rate, affecting over a million Israelis.
"Even in the absence of an overall exit strategy, insisting on the current policy could bring Israel to a situation where the number of serious cases and fatalities remains low compared to the rest of the world, but the damage to the economy and to society will be irreparable, leading in the long run even to the loss of life.
"The secondary damage from a total and indiscriminate cessation of [economic] activity that is unrelated to the coronavirus could eventually outweigh even the damage caused by the pandemic itself," the panel warned."
The committee urged the government to prepare for the possibility of a "second wave" of coronavirus next winter.
"It is believed that a second wave of the virus will hit in the coming winter, even though the current crisis has not yet passed. This should be addressed on all levels."
