Israel asks: What next?
As the lockdown eases, Israelis contemplate how they will handle the next pandemic — without paralyzing society
Recently liberated from coronavirus lockdown to resume routines — with a phased but quite accelerated return to “normal” — Israelis are now engaged in the obligatory “post-mortem” assessment. “How’d we do?”
And, as people here love to respond to a question with a question, the most appropriate to ask is a typical Israeli response to, well, anything, translating roughly as: “By what measure?”
Generally, and in a remarkably rare nonpartisan moment, Israelis commend the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the highly effective response of the health- care system to what became a months-long health and economic crisis. And the praise is richly deserved.
The numbers don’t lie. By any measure, Israel did exceptionally well by its citizens, to date recording 30 deaths per million people, compared with 143 in Canada. And the vast majority of deaths and cases were among the elderly and ultra- Orthodox.
The first corona patient (from the Diamond Princess cruise ship) was diagnosed upon her return to Israel on Feb. 22, more than a month after the government had begun an aggressive public education campaign to prepare the population for what may transpire. Israel used the short “head start” it had by watching the virus spread in Asia and parts of Europe to prepare its population and health- care system for the worst, while planning for the best. As Bibi said in February, when the disaster unfolded in Italy: “We want to be like South Korea, not Italy.”
Israel banned international travel from “hot spots” proactively; many thought too eagerly. But the early and decisive action in implementing border controls, testing, tracing and tracking paid off, clearly, by drastically reducing the potential caseload.
Still, many are asking, as we all should: Was it necessary? The lockdown? The controlled chaos?
Unemployment stands today at approximately 25 per cent, an unprecedented and terrifying number in a country with a robust economy where the jobless rate has hovered around 4.0 per cent for years. We are already experiencing extreme mental-health repercussions and other consequences. These are very early days.
As in many countries, the elderly in long- term care facilities were hit hard. But, it seems the most impacted community was the ultra- Orthodox, some of whom are now considering that it perhaps was some form of Divine punishment for their lack of faith, or insufficient modesty among women.
From early March, when the majority of the population had been well- indoctrinated to wash constantly, maintain social distance and avoid large crowds, many in the ultra- Orthodox community of more than a million people (out of an Israeli population of nine million) resisted this guidance. Some prominent rabbis declared that continued religious learning and praying — in crowded study halls and synagogues — were imperative; that God would reward devotion with protection.
Viruses, however, proved to be impervious to prayer, with the ultra- Orthodox community accounting for a shocking 70 per cent of all cases. When a targeted lockdown of certain ultra- Orthodox communities was contemplated in late March, key ultra- Orthodox leaders protested. So, the whole country was locked down to avoid targeting an identifiable and problematic community.
This harsh collective lockdown was not well- received and frustration compounded throughout April. Several videos in particular went viral on social media and infuriated the public; zealous police officers chasing a lone cyclist in an empty park, arrests of surfers and other petty power grabs.
Anger was further stoked by media exposure that more than a few “rules” were being bent, frequently, by more than a few prominent politicians. About two weeks ago, widespread frustration was at the boiling point, which seems to be what jolted the government to accelerate the scope and timing of the reopening of the country.
People were fed up with being cooped up for what seemed to be no good reason. In addition to a very controlled outbreak here, by the end of March it was well understood that transmission is primarily human to human in enclosed spaces, which makes it a bit silly to order people confined to their homes. Unless I’ve missed something in tireless research and discussions with physicians treating coronavirus in Israel, there is no scientific evidence supporting the notion that the virus transmits outdoors. Sure, if you’re on a park bench and someone spits or coughs on you, or if a kid drools on playground equipment and you come along and touch it immediately, well, yes, you might catch it then.
But the evidence and early scientific conclusions from the past five months of global experience with the virus are that transmission occurs primarily indoors in close- contact environments. So, when we shut our elderly in long- term- care homes, and do not allow them out even for fresh air and short walks, well, we cannot be surprised that they succumb, in droves.
Parks and beaches in Israel are busy again, as they likely should have been without interruption. There is no better defence to a viral pandemic than a healthy, active population absorbing lots of natural vitamin D. There is no safer place to be for viral protection than in the sea. Personal hygiene and social distancing do not require the shutdown of societies and economies.
In Israel, traffic jams are back, schools are reopening in a phased manner, and by mid- June we expect all aspects of society to be functioning fully; large sports and concert events, big weddings (’ tis the season, after all) malls and universities. Some details are unclear — like if and how restaurants will manage with reduced seating possibilities — but they will sort out over time.
The challenge now is to find a way to live with this, and the next pandemic, without paralyzing society.
By any measure, Israel did exceptionally well by its citizens.