A new report from the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center finds Israel is likely to see a spike in infections over the winter, when people are more likely to convene in small indoor spaces. The report makes particular note of schools, offices, and public transportation as areas of concern.
According to the report, extended stays in unventilated spaces with multiple people engaging in such mundane activities as talking will be much more dangerous during the winter months, in particular if these areas are poorly ventilated and people are not wearing masks.
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According to the authors of the report, schools, with their packed classrooms, are at serious risk. Although they are equipped with air conditioners, the center asserts these could in fact aid in the spread of the virus.
Although numerous research reports have found that air conditioning can help the spread of the virus, in Israel the recommendation has been to keep windows open in addition to the use of air conditioning.
In addition to the coronavirus, there is also the issue of seasonal flu, and concerns among many in the education system as well as parents that children or staff displaying flu symptoms such a cough or fever could end up sending an entire class, grade, or school into quarantine until COVID-19 test results come back negative.
As for public transportation, the situation is also precarious, according to the report. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, thousands of people have reportedly traveled on buses and trains while infected, forcing thousands more into quarantine. With some of the restrictions put in place during the second lockdown having been rolled back, public transportation in Israel is now once again operating on a normal schedule, although with limits on the number of passengers. While these restrictions are enforced on trains, they are rarely enforced on buses.
Meanwhile, office spaces are also adjusting to the new normal through design plans and the adoption of guidelines for maintaining adequate distance between people and cleanliness to help maintain employee health.
The report comes as Health Ministry data shows 663 people tested positive for the virus on Tuesday out of a total 40,199, for an infection rate of 1.6%. The number of active cases stands at 8,167, 550. There are 550 people hospitalized with the virus, 307 are in serious condition, and 135 of whom are on ventilators. While 310,061 have recovered, 2,684 have succumbed to the virus in Israel.
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Although it had been set to convene on Wednesday, the so-called corona cabinet will not meet to discuss the third stage of the government's plan to roll back restrictions put in place to stop the spread of the virus. The cabinet had been scheduled to discuss further opening up the market, a transition to a "traffic light" system of determining public health restrictions for local authorities based on the number of new coronavirus cases and percentage of positive test results. However, in recent days, Health Ministry officials have said that in light of the increasing infection rate, there was no room to discuss a further rollback of restrictions.
According to the Health Ministry plan, an infection rate of 0.8% and an average of fewer than 500 infections per day are necessary in order to continue to ease coronavirus restrictions.
In recent days, however, the national infection rate has stood at 0.94%, while in Arab cities, the infection rate is an even higher 1.14%. In Arab-majority areas.
