Israel May Postpone Opening Of Kindergartens, Lower Grades As Evidence Mounts That Children Infect

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The partial return of educational facilities in Israel, scheduled for Sunday May 3, may be delayed after health ministry officials may advise the government not to open kindergartens and lower grades since this could lead to a renewed outbreak of coronavirus. Alternatively the ministry will recommend a more staggered return to studies than was previously planned.

The ministry is basing its recommendations on preliminary findings of the Gertner Institute, a national research institute for the study of epidemiology and health policy in Israel located in Sheba hospital. The findings state that children can be infected by COVID-19 and can also infect others. Various countries have published studies regarding the possibility of children infecting others, with Swiss and French studies claiming that children under 10 do not infect adults and German and British epidemiologists demurring and urging more extensive studies on the matter.

Israeli site Bchadrei Charedim added that senior Charedi rabbis, including Rav Chaim Kanievski, Rav Gershon Edelstein and Rav Shalom Cohen have already decided to postpone the opening of Chareidi kindergartens and lower schools since they are concerned that children will not be able to maintain social distancing or hygiene regulations and could easily cause a spike in infections. Thus, both the Chinuch Atzmai and Sephardi schools will not open on Sunday even if the Education Ministry decides to commence studies then.

A close aide of one prominent rabbi said that if the schools are opening due to health considerations (and not economic considerations as is widely assumed), they should open the upper grades and not the lower grades since younger children do not know how to maintain hygiene. He added that the rabbis will request the government not to allow economic considerations such as the need for parents to return to work influence the decision to open kindergartens, since the health concerns are paramount and could lead to life-threatening infections.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri initiated a meeting between the heads of Chareidi educational networks and health ministry director-general Moshe Simantov in an attempt to weigh up options which could prevent young children from dangerous situations in their educational frameworks.