Head of public Health Dr. Elrai Price: we are far from easing Corona regulations

About two hours after the resignation of the Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health, the Deputy Head of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elrai Price, gave a briefing to the media following the opening of street shops - a move she opposed - and the increase in infection in Israel. "To reach the next opening, we will need less than 500 verified corona patients a day - so there is still a long way to go."
According to Dr. Elrai Price, "With the exit from the quarantine, the coefficient of infection increases. This is not surprising. We knew this was going to happen. "She added:" Street shops have opened today, and I call on the people of Israel to be really careful. There can be no policeman and inspector everywhere, so be aware - the restrictions are four people in each store. Do not crowd. The opening is made when the morbidity indices are rising, and we need to see how we maintain this situation without losing control. "
"We do not yet see the effect of all the openness," she warned. "We will only see it in a week. In order to be careful, we must stop. The opening of street shops must also be done in a measured and responsible manner, so that every citizen will take care of himself in this matter."
Dr. Elrai Price clarified that the increase in morbidity is noticeable all over the country, and not just in sectoral localities. "As long as we see morbidity indices that do not allow for further opening, we will ask to stop and wait and see that the actions we take - whether it is closed in restricted areas. Will lead to a downward trend. "
Asked by reporters about the opening date of the education system, she said: "We are in discussions with the Ministry of Education, but can not commit to dates. To do this correctly, the opening must be coordinated with the existing disease. Next step is the opening of fifth-sixth grades "I do not know when it will be. We are trying to know if it is possible to produce an outline for opening 11th-12th grades."
In response to another question she called on the public to get vaccinated against the flu ahead of winter. "We are significantly preparing for winter in terms of tests and vaccinations," she said. "This is the best time to go get vaccinated against the flu."
On the decline in morbidity in the ultra-Orthodox sector, despite the documented violations, she said: "In the surveys we do in ultra-Orthodox society we are concerned that in 50% of cases they say that if they do not feel well, they will continue as usual or wait a few days at home. That will be tested. "
In recent days, Dr. Elrai Price has repeated on several occasions that the opening of the trade could lead to a third closure, a position that Health Minister Yuli Edelstein also supported. She also warned at recent cabinet meetings against further opening of the education system, which she claims could lead to a further increase.
As mentioned, an hour before Price's briefing, Prof. Itamar Grotto announced his resignation from the Ministry of Health. Dr. Elrai Price thanked him during the briefing for his work, and did not address the reasons for his resignation.
Grotto's resignation has led to the replacement of all the top officials of the Ministry of Health who managed the corona crisis in the beginning - including former CEO Moshe Bar-Siman Tov and head of public health services Sigal Sadecki. Last week Grotto was on vacation, and Health Ministry officials said he was facing a difficult time.
Meanwhile, the infection coefficient continues to rise and this morning stood at 0.95. If the coefficient of infection is higher than 1 - that is, every corona patient on average infects at least one other person - this may lead to stopping the closure and restrictions.
The coefficient of infection is one of the main figures looked at by the Ministry of Health, and following its rise, the government is formulating recommendations for action - and among other things continues to examine the effectiveness of imposing a night curfew. A report submitted by the National Security Headquarters to government ministers indicates that once the coefficient of infection is higher than 1, it will be inevitable to stop the relief.
According to Prof. Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute, the coefficient of infection continues to vary between sectors: more than 1 in the Arab sector, 0.95 in the general sector, and 0.69 in the ultra-Orthodox sector. The Arab sector currently accounts for 41% of the total morbidity.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting that "we are still in the early stages of returning to routine. We are constantly examining the effects of relief and graded opening in the early stages, to prevent an outbreak of the plague. We see a slight increase in morbidity. "I urge everyone to strictly adhere to the rules and guidelines, so that we can move back to routine until we bring the vaccines to the citizens of Israel."
The Minister of Energy, Dr. Yuval Steinitz, called on the cabinet meeting to consider imposing a night curfew or stopping the start of the school year in light of the increase in morbidity. He said, "The strategy of controlling and controlling low morbidity will work much better." 500. "The braking distances and steps we will require if we reach dozens of infected people a day will be much shorter and more comfortable than at the current level we are at."
Steinitz added: "Even if there is a significant achievement in the drop from 9,000 infected per day to 600-500, and even if we are in a better position than most of Europe, all in all we have moved a step or two away from the abyss. In order not to reach another eruption, numbers must continue to fall. "Balance every step of opening - such as opening stores - with countermeasures of closure and heaviness, such as a night curfew or stopping school opening. If we do not, we may find ourselves in another outburst and the benefit of the closure we went through will be short-lived."
At the same time, the government intends to declare additional cities as a restricted area, after lowering from 8 to 7 the traffic light rating above which a particular locality is to be closed. Currently, there is a closure on four localities and the ultra-Orthodox campus in Hatzor HaGlilit, and in the coming days there is an intention to add "orange areas" where there is a clear trend of deterioration towards "red area". The government is also formulating proposals to encourage the use of masks and is preparing to develop "user-friendly" masks.