Gov’t to reassess opening schools despite decrease in virus patients
Health expert: ‘It is an illusion to think you are secure’
Parents hoping to send their children to school on Sunday may end up being disappointed, after a study by the Gertner Institute found that opening them may be premature, despite positive new data from the Health Ministry.
The number of people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus as of Wednesday outnumbered the number of people infected for the first time, according to the ministry. Some 7,386 people are infected while 8,233 have recovered.
The decision of the government earlier this week to open preschool through 3rd grade was made pending the results of the study, whose findings were sent to ministers late Wednesday night after the Independence Day holiday. The first findings of the study show that children do get infected and infect others, although less so.
Some senior officials are now recommending that only grade schools open, since they are more likely to be able to adhere to guidelines set by the Health Ministry.
Other issues include whether students in grades 11 and 12 will ultimately attend school to prepare for their matriculation exams, as originally approved by the government; what to do about teachers who are older or have pre-existing medical conditions; and whether afterschool programs can open to accommodate working parents.
Officials are expected to meet over the next 48 hours and a final decision is supposed to be made by Friday. At this stage, something extreme would have to happen for schools not to open as expected.
Thousands have expressed their unwillingness to send their children to school on Sunday out of concern that the Education Ministry will not be able to guarantee the health of their children. The parents signed petitions online calling for schools to not reopen yet.
“The number of sick is going down, which is good,” according to Prof. Gabi Barbash, director-general emeritus of the Health Ministry. But he told The Jerusalem Post that he is “not impressed” by the number of recovered patients.
We have been battling the virus for nearly three months,” he said. “Obviously, as time goes by, more people recover.”
More important is the average number of newly infected patients per day – 106 in the
attacked her in violence. This is a tragic event.”
Police searched the region for Mandparo, releasing his name and photographs to the public, asking for help in finding him.
He was eventually found thanks to residents who recognized him from the photographs released by the police, who reported his appearance immediately.
Mandparo was released from prison in March after serving 10 months for domestic violence against Elaza, who used to live in a women’s shelter for victims of domestic abuse. She moved back to their home due to difficulties adapting to shelter life.
After Mandparo’s release and a short phone call with Elaza – and since there was no restraining order against him – he returned home to live with her and their children.
The previous report of abuse, which led to his jail sentence, was because of an attack by him in which he beat her repeatedly with his fists in their bedroom. He then held her against the wall, attempting to strangle her. She managed to escape to the living room, where he continued to attack her until she bled.
His sentence was shortened to 10 months because he did not have a criminal record.
“The murder of the woman last night in Holon is the tip of the iceberg of the wave of domestic violence which has washed over the country since the breakout of the coronavirus crisis,” said WIZO Israel chairwoman Ora Korazim on Wednesday afternoon.
“At this moment, hundreds of thousands of women and children live with ongoing abuse, aggression and fear, ‘kidnapped’ with a violent partner without a secure approach to aid,” she said. “Despite this, the entirety of welfare services was downsized... and families are abandoned to their fates.”
The same day that Mandparo murdered his wife, a 57-yearold man was indicted for the murder of his wife in midMarch. During an argument, he stabbed her and then proceeded to shoot her repeatedly. The names of both the defendant and victim are under gag order.
The Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services reported on Wednesday afternoon that calls to the governmental welfare hotline regarding domestic violence have doubled. Throughout the week leading up to Independence Day, 178 complaints were made. In contrast, within the first two weeks of March there were 191 calls, when coronavirus restrictions had not yet been implemented.
In light of this steep rise in reports, the ministry will be opening a text message hotline for questions and complaints regarding domestic abuse at 055-700-0128.
One of the main worries of the ministry is that despite this rise, there are even more cases that have not yet been reported, according to Iris Florentine, the ministry’s Head of Social Services Administration.
The ministry believes that the lack of privacy due to coronavirus restrictions is preventing a large population of domestic abuse victims from reporting abuse or requesting advice. The text message hotline was instituted as a solution.
WIZO and the ministry, in light of the rise of domestic abuse accompanying coronavirus restrictions, announced that they will be opening an additional emergency women’s shelter for abuse victims this coming Sunday.
The ministry will be initiating a televised campaign to encourage reporting to the hotline regarding domestic violence, in collaboration with the Inter-Ministry Governmental Committee on the Treatment of Domestic Violence.
Despite several branches of welfare services being listed as essential, which allows them to operate during the coronavirus outbreak, 60% of social workers in the field of domestic abuse are not working, reported Maariv, the sister publication of The Jerusalem Post, in March.
“The instructions of the Health Ministry and of the Prime Minister’s Office to stay home... are making relief organizations and women’s shelters face challenges they have not yet known,” Joint List MK Aida Touma-Suleiman wrote in a letter to Welfare Minister Ofir Akunis.
Women’s organizations throughout the country reported a steep rise in reports of domestic abuse last year. Thirteen women were murdered in acts of domestic violence in 2019.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. •