A government meeting to discuss a possible reopening of the education system ended without a decision on the matter on Sunday, as Health Ministry and National Security Council officials in attendance warned the move could lead to a surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to Health Ministry data, 4,560 of the 53,656 people tested for COVID-19 on Sunday were found to be carrying the virus, for an infection rate of 8.8%.
As of Monday morning, Israel had 67,631 active cases of the coronavirus. At 1,121 cases, the number of seriously ill has declined and is now the lowest it has been since Jan. 9. Of those currently in serious condition, 316 were on ventilators. A total of 5,129 people have died of COVID-19 or complications there from since the pandemic reached Israel in early 2020.
Addressing the government meeting, physicist Eli Waxman of the National Security Council warned lifting restrictions imposed under Israel's third lockdown would lead to a "collapse of the ICUs. A large portion of patients in serious condition will not receive proper treatment, so more people may die," Channel 12 News reported.
"We are in a state of zero confidence margins. We are at the edge of the hospitalization system's capacity. We could have 10,000 deaths and 30,000 patients in serious condition. Opening [the education system] today is an irresponsible step that will take us beyond the margins," he warned.
While Immigration and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata stressed the urgency to reopen the struggling economy, other ministers called for caution as Health Ministry officials warned the younger population could develop serious illness, overwhelming hospital wards.
Part of this article was first published by i24NEWS.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
