Corona report card
How well is the Jewish state battling the novel coronavirus?
“So far, we’re doing well, but the jury is really still out,” said Eyal Leshem, director of the Center for Travel Medicine and Tropical Diseases at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. “We really need to see in the next several weeks how well we are coping with corona.”
But there are a few things we do know.
On the one hand, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that “the State of Israel is ahead of the vast majority of countries” in combating SARS-CoV-2. Earlier this week, Israel was ranked the No. 1 safest country to stay free of coronavirus by the Deep Knowledge Group.
On the other hand, a report by Worldometer – one of the leading websites for coronavirus statistics, which takes data from the World Health Organization – shows how the coronavirus is affecting 203 countries and territories around the world. It demonstrates that Israel is not better off than all or even most other countries where people are infected.
If one looks at the total number of cases per one million people, Israel is actually one of the worst. There are only 22 countries that have more cases per million than Israel, which means there
Ya’acov Tessler.
All this adds up to a logistical nightmare when it comes to keeping the country afloat.
The Prime Minister’s Office and others are loathing to acknowledge that this is any kind of obstacle – other than Netanyahu joking about having to do his own hair and makeup – and tend to say the relevant parties will just do their work from home.
But just like many other Israelis, cabinet ministers also are adjusting to working remotely from home.
Litzman is a Gerrer hassid. The Gerrer Hassidim eschew smartphones and modern communication technology. But Litzman had Internet installed in his home for the first time to allow him to work via video conference while under quarantine.
Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich finished his 14-day quarantine on Wednesday. He immediately went to a site in Tel Aviv to inspect the accelerated electrification of railroad tracks being carried out thanks to the reduced train traffic during the lockdown.
On Thursday, Smotrich said his work was limited by being in isolation but added: “The limitations were not removed when I left quarantine. Even now, I make sure to leave the house as little as possible.”
He said he was trying to make do with conference calls and video conferences from his home in Kedumim, where he lives with his wife and six children.
“It’s not efficient like sitting in normal discussions, but I have a home office with a computer and a phone,” Smotrich said.
On Thursday, several ministers told The Jerusalem Post they think cabinet meetings have been going smoothly.
Unlike awkward video conferences, where people talk over each other and struggle to find the mute-microphone button, cabinet meetings mostly have been on the phone – something that happened even before the advent of the coronavirus – or via Whatsapp, using text messages, not voice notes.