The Corona Cabinet has decided not to impose further restrictions on the public at this stage

The Corona Cabinet convened on Sunday for the first time since the formation of the government, deciding that no new restrictions will be imposed on the public following the rise in viral morbidity. The ministers discussed measures to prevent the re-spread of the corona and to curb the delta strain in Israel. During the discussion, the ministers demanded information from Ministry of Health officials regarding the vaccination of children. Shortly before the cabinet convened, the director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, announced his resignation.
The Corona Cabinet has decided not to impose further restrictions on the public at this stage. At its first meeting since the formation of the government, the cabinet stated that the goal now is to provide maximum protection for the citizens of Israel from the spread of the Indian strain, while at the same time minimizing the harm to the routine of life. It was further determined that preparations should be made for future threats and an infrastructure should be built to detect variants of the corona virus or other viruses. It was decided that the responsible parties would formulate a recommendation for a plan to enforce the isolation, especially for Israelis returning from abroad. The information campaign will also continue to encourage immunization, especially among adolescents
The Ministries of Education and Health have been instructed to cooperate with the National Security Headquarters in formulating plans for the opening of the next school year in the face of various disease scenarios.
As part of the cabinet's decisions, it was determined that the corona commissioner, Prof. Nachman Ash, and the corona projector at Ben Gurion Airport, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Roni Noma, will formulate an enforcement plan on the issue of isolation, with an emphasis on returning from abroad. In addition, the efforts of the information campaign to encourage immunization will continue, with an emphasis on youth.
As stated, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and the National Security Headquarters were instructed to formulate plans for the opening of the school year and to prepare for various disease scenarios. It was also decided to promote a program for full genetic sequencing of all those entering the country at international border crossings.
Even before the gathering, the director general of the Ministry of Health submitted his resignation to the Minister of Health, Nitzan Horowitz, and will return to manage the Barzilai Hospital. The Ministry of Health announced that an announcement on the appointment of a new CEO will be published soon.
During the cabinet meeting, Education Minister Yifat Shasha Bitton said she read an article that the World Health Organization recommends not vaccinating children due to the risk of developing myocarditis. Corona commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash replied that it was "Pike News". According to Ash, the risk of white infections is 1 in 5,000 and girls 1 in 20,000, and that this can be treated with antibiotics. The outgoing director general of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, also replied to Shasha Bitton that "this is not true," and that she did not understand the article.
Ministry of Health officials said at the meeting that they do not deny that there are children who have contracted myocarditis due to vaccination, but stressed that they think the risks of infecting children with corona are greater due to symptoms such as whooping cough and prolonged corona, which children suffer from. The Minister of Science, Orit Farkash HaCohen, asked the Ministry of Health to bring to the next meeting data on how many children suffered from pericarditis before the corona and how much following their immunization, to see how much the disease increased.
The Minister of Finance, Hemed Amar, and the Minister of the Interior, Ayelet Shaked, also raised questions with the Ministry of Health regarding the side effects of childhood vaccines. "I have a 13-year-old girl and I want to vaccinate her and set a personal example. I want to know the data and the full information," Shaked said. Amar noted that "if the ministers also do not know the full information, then think about the public. Information needs to be made so that people will understand it."
During the cabinet meeting, Justice Minister Gideon Saar, Science Minister Orit Farkash HaCohen and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit opposed Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked's proposal at the Corona Cabinet meeting to prevent anyone visiting foreign countries from going abroad and violating isolation. Saar, Farkash and Mandelblit said at the meeting that this was a disproportionate move.
Science Minister Farkash Hacohen proposed in the cabinet a proposal to shorten the isolation days for returnees from abroad to six days, due to recent data that found that only 0.1% of those returning from abroad are positive. According to the minister, if returnees from abroad are required to have three corona tests in six days, the chances of not finding positive for the virus are low.
The government earlier in its weekly meeting approved Ministry of Health regulations to deal with the corona virus. These include, among other things, the requirement that every Israeli passenger over the age of 16 at Ben Gurion Airport be required to fill out a declaration before leaving Israel, stating that he does not travel to one of the countries to which departure has been prohibited, unless approved by the Exceptions Committee. They will be required not to allow a passenger without a declaration to board the plane.
It was also agreed that air crew members would be able to receive an exemption from a corona inspection at the entrance to Israel, as part of a surveillance by the air operator, subject to performing a corona inspection every week and as long as they did not leave the airport if at risk. It was further decided that the person in charge of a minor (under the age of 12) who prevents the minor from performing a corona examination will be defined as having committed a criminal offense and will be given an administrative fine of NIS 3,500.
In addition, the Ministry of Health announced that Belarus and Kyrgyzstan had been added to the list of countries with a severe travel warning, and that the Maldives and Nepal had been removed from the list. The list of countries with a severe travel warning currently includes the following countries: Uganda, Uruguay, UAE, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Belarus, Namibia, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan and Tunisia.
In addition, the exemption of Israeli citizens and residents, with the exception of exceptions approved by the Exceptions Committee, is prohibited for countries at maximum risk: Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico and Russia.