The head of public health services in the health ministry, Prof. Sigal Sadetzki, asked to leave her position.
"Yesterday morning I informed you of my request to leave my position as Head of Public Health Services at the Ministry of Health and the central role I took in managing the prevention of the spread and containment of the coronavirus epidemic in Israel," she wrote on Facebook.
"After many years of senior public service, in which I invested all my abilities for the State of Israel and its citizens, the last few months have come that have drastically changed life in Israel and throughout the world. For the past six months I have been accompanied every day, hour, nights, weekends and holidays by the Corona crisis. In fact, I do almost nothing besides it. My skills and thoughts are directed to the study of the subject, to thinking about ways of coping with the challenge, to raising proposals to deal with the epidemic in the realities of global uncertainty about it, to detailed work to implement the decisions made at various levels, in order to save lives.
"I acknowledge the privilege I had to play a significant role at the forefront of the fight against the spread of the Corona epidemic, at critical moments for the State of Israel and its citizens."
She wrote later, "Unfortunately, for several weeks the compass of treatment of the epidemic has lost direction. Despite systematic and regular warnings in the various systems, and discussions in various forums, we watch with frustration the hourglass of opportunity losing time. Against this background, I have come to the conclusion that in the newly created conditions in which my professional opinion is not accepted - I can no longer help effectively to curb the spread of the virus."