Approved from next week: Return to full schooling in all classes without capsules

The government convened on Monday evening and approved in principle the return to full schooling in all classrooms and the abolition of capsules starting next week, in light of data indicating a dramatic drop in morbidity in the education system. An official vote has not yet been taken, and it will be held only after the regulations are brought in for ministerial approval tomorrow, once work on them is completed.
The government is also discussing a plan by the Ministry of Transportation to increase the capacity of passengers at Ben Gurion Airport, as well as the number of flights. During the hearing, representatives of the Ministry of Health said that it is not forbidden for the general public to come to the cemeteries on Memorial Days, but the recommendation is that only the nuclear family do so.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorized Health Minister Yuli Edelstein to chair the meeting - and left when it began. Edelstein said at the beginning of the discussion on education that his office offers a full return to studies "in the hope that it will not harm in any way." According to Edelstein, "I can not say that we are doing this without concern. It must be remembered that this is a concentration of an unvaccinated population."
Education Minister Yoav Galant teased in response: "This debate should have taken place two weeks ago, but it is better late than never."
The Ministry of Health has approved for the government an outline for opening all classrooms and canceling the capsules, while operating an "adapted education shield", in light of pressure to open classes by the Ministry of Education, parents and local authorities. As part of the outline, all schools will operate fully, and only in the event that a verified patient is detected will his friends and teaching staff be required to be tested and isolated. Corona's professor Prof. Nachman Ash said that "the caution and responsibility we have taken so far has proven itself. "But with the ability to accompany it in an extensive set of tests and monitoring."
According to the presentation given by Prof. Ash, the Ministry of Health recommends starting with the outline on April 18. The opening in this outline will be made "under the application of a stricter intervention model for dealing with outbreaks, which allows for wide monitoring and prevention of spread." The non-formal education system, the classes and the higher education system will continue to operate in the existing format - and a discussion on them will take place in two weeks, after examining the effects of opening the schools.
Minister Galant presented the low morbidity figures from the education system, which were published earlier today on Ynet. Among other things, Galant presented that in 99.38% of kindergartens there is not a single verified patient. According to Galant, "All students, at all ages and in all localities, should be returned immediately to educational institutions. A return to a full routine will allow education staff to map gaps, strengthen social ties and personal resilience among students, strengthen students' sense of ability to learn and reduce gaps." Students in transition to new settings. "
Prof. Ash noted at the hearing that the morbidity continues to decline, and now stands at an average of 230 patients a day, promoting an infection rate of 0.74. According to him, the morbidity has decreased in all sectors, and the number of deaths is also significantly lower than it used to be and now stands at about ten a day.
At the beginning of the debate, the government unanimously approved the extension of the purple character regulations in the workplace until May 12. As for Ben Gurion Airport, in the Ministry of Transportation in H.
Earlier, a senior official in the Ministry of Education presented the morbidity data in schools and the damage caused to students in the past year, calling for full opening of studies: "The morbidity in the education system is minimal and under full control, and the percentage of vaccinated students is very high. The hidden message conveyed to students, especially to those from middle schools, is that you can be anywhere except school. "
According to data from the Ministry of Education, in the last month there has been a 91% decrease in the number of patients verified in the education system. Just a month ago, the number of patients in the system was 9,820 - and today their number is only 877. Just two months ago, the number of verified students was 23,000, so since then it has been down 96%.
The decline in the education system is fully in line with the decline in the general public, although most students are not vaccinated. In addition, 70% of 11th-12th grade students are vaccinated with a second vaccine or recover, and another 10% are vaccinated with one dose - so that within a week 80% of all 11th-12th grade students will be vaccinated, including reducing the distance traveled by passengers and staff. Are required to guard each other - from two meters today to one meter or to a meter and a half. In addition, the removal of the PCR testing complex outside Terminal 1 is being considered, as well as the increase in the use of Terminal 1. The Ministry of Health has announced that it will oppose the reduction of distance and occupancy at Ben Gurion Airport, but does not oppose copying the testing complex.
Half of the students are not vaccinated - the age group below the age of 16 - however, the proportion of students among the verified is only a quarter. There are far fewer patients among children compared to adults. In 91% of the schools in Israel there is no Corona patient, and in 7% there is only one patient. The total morbidity in the education system is concentrated in 10% of schools. Out of 5,200 schools, zero have been closed due to morbidity issues, and there has also been a significant drop in the number of isolated students in the past month.
 Along with the encouraging morbidity data, the Ministry of Education presents alarming data regarding learning: a decrease of about 30% in basic skills among first- and third-year students, with an emphasis on language and fluency in reading; A 25% decrease in math and language literacy among fourth- and sixth-graders. A gap of about 30% in the core subjects among 7th-10th grade students in language, mathematics, English and science.
Aside from schooling, every third student reports emotional distress. There is a 25% increase in risk assessments for suicide in educational psychological services, and 60% of educational counselors have reported that their students report a feeling of loneliness. The Ministry of Education also estimates that there is a latent dropout of about 30% of students, a significant increase in risk behaviors, addiction and alcohol, and a worsening in symptoms such as eating disorders and obesity.