Even after the significant drop in coronavirus infection due to the new lockdown, Israel remains in an emergency health crisis. The virus is hitting hard and relentlessly, and the numbers of thousands of infected a day are high and dangerous on any international level. Many countries have put in place lockdowns and closures, on national or regional levels, even with numbers much lower than those Israel has reached now at the end of the High Holidays.
The dozens of deaths a day emphasize the nature of the national crisis and the severity of the daily human tragedies for many Israelis, almost 2,000 since the pandemic began, who would not have died were it not for the virus. Most of them, of all ages, could have lived many more months or years even with the pre-existing conditions they had.
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It can be said that in the war on the coronavirus that began in March this year in Israel, as in the rest of the world, 1,914 people have fallen. Around the world, over one million have lost their lives.
It's true that in the past few weeks the media has begun again to cover the stories of the pandemic victims. But what is still very obvious, outrageous and unforgivable is that they are almost entirely ignored in the statements and interviews given by the heads of the Health Ministry. For example, in the press conference last Thursday, nothing about them was said by Ministry Director-General Prof. Hezi Levy, and the head of public health services in the Health Ministry, Dr. Sharon Elroi-Price. Even coronavirus czar Roni Gamzu, for some reason, did not address this issue during any of his statements or interviews.
Despite populist and irresponsible statements from some doctors and senior management, including some of the heads of public health in Israel, if there hadn't been a lockdown and severe restrictions over these past weeks, we could have quickly reached a horrible catastrophe like the one seen during the first wave in countries and cities such as New York, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Brazil. Even so, after the lockdown the situation in Israel is still very severe and worrying, and we, like the whole world, are still in a continuous battle which could last for many months more.
Despite these numbers, there are still irresponsible calls to hastily return to routine life. And again these calls come not only from politicians and journalists but also from a handful of doctors and directors who may have forgotten their Hippocratic oath.
The public, political, and media pressure made Israel exit the first lockdown hastily and irresponsibly, straight into a new and very dangerous routine, which caused the pandemic to spread, leading to the infection of tens of thousands of Israelis and the deaths of hundreds of people. At the beginning of July, the summer school program opened and at the beginning of September, the school year was opened quickly and irresponsibly. All this, despite the warnings of some in the Health Ministry not to do this.
These tragic mistakes must not happen again a third time, and we must exit the lockdown responsibly and gradually, so as not to cause another spike in infection and to try and keep down the rates. Simultaneously there is a need to significantly enlarge the financial aid to the public so it can withstand the very difficult economic and social price of the coronavirus restrictions, which will be here for many months to come.
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