Before we even begin listing the failures, problems and mistakes made by the Health Ministry and government, which have led us to the point of another general quarantine; and before we begin discussing the harsh criticism justifiably leveled at the manner in which it is being implemented, it's important to remember that this is first and foremost a personal responsibility we all bear to protect ourselves, our families and our friends against the pandemic.
The fight against the pandemic is an exceedingly unique medical and social event, where we must safeguard ourselves and everyone else at the same time. Without these collective and mutual safety measures, it won't be possible to defeat the pandemic.
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With daily figures indicating thousands of new confirmed cases, Israel is presently among the countries where the virus is spreading the fastest, along with a steady rise in the number of patients in critical condition, on ventilators, and fatalities.
We must bear in mind the tangible role we all play in the fight against the virus' spread, and how critical it is to follow safety directives.
Thus far, too many of us – secular, ultra-Orthodox, Arab, it doesn't matter – have not been responsible enough.
Israel is in the midst of a national health emergency as the coronavirus mercilessly, indiscriminately and persistently pounds away at the population. At least as of prior to this week, every effort by corona commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu, whose intentions have been above reproach, haven't succeeded at all in decreasing the morbidity rate.
After Gamzu and the government failed to quarantine the dozens of "red" towns and communities and settled, too little and too late, for nighttime curfews, there is now an urgent need to impose stringent restrictions and a lengthy lockdown on the entire population for the duration of the holiday season.
Israel still hasn't entered its second general lockdown, but it's already important to start preparing for its conclusion. This is an excellent opportunity to revisit the poignant remarks made by Prof. Siegal Sadetzki, before she stepped down in early July as head of Public Health Services in the Health Ministry.
"The first wave of infections was characterized by foreseeing and predicting what was to come and reacting quickly, and led to significant achievements in terms of protecting the public's health and saving lives in Israel," Sadetzki wrote to now- Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Hezi Levy. "But these successes with the first wave were negated with the widespread and hasty reopening of the economy. In Israel, the transition to the second phase was far quicker and broader in comparison to other Western countries. The approach to treating the disease and the way decisions were made fundamentally changed – and the results were evident in the rise of the bell curve."
She added: "This change [in approach] was accompanied by denial about the morbidity trends and about the significance of the decisions being made. I sincerely hope I'm proven wrong, that my warnings are ultimately extraneous, and that my assessment of the morbidity situation in Israel is mistaken. I hope I'm wrong."
The nationwide lockdown that will go into effect on Friday, however, again illustrates that Prof. Sadetzki was possibly more right than she dared imagine at the time, and that we must all demand that the Health Ministry and government avoid making the same costly mistakes after the holidays.
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