Yeshiva students (stock)
Yeshiva students (stock)Aharon Krohn/Flash90

According to reports on the Haredi website, Kikkar Hashabbat, significant progress has been made in recent hours towards allowing the resumption of studies in haredi yeshivas after a timetable for restarting the school year was approved.

The Srugim website reported that according to the current outline for a return to school studies, yeshivas operating a boarding school will function in groups of 32 students. Since health ministry understand that it would be impossible to conduct coronavirus testing for every one of the enrolled students, each one will remain at the yeshiva for two-week time periods.

If one of the students contracts the virus, the rest of the group will remain in isolation for a two-week period. If the remaining students test negative after undergoing regular testing, they will be attached to parallel groups until the full-time resumption of learning.

In order to get permission from the Ministry of Health to resume studies, yeshivas will have to prove their capacity and means to split students into study, sleep, and meal groups for two-week time periods, and isolate sick ones. Yeshivas that are able to present detailed curriculums will receive Ministry of Health approval.

According to reports, staff members will also be allowed to return. Rabbis wishing to move from one study group to another will be asked to take protective health measures like those required of MDA staff tending to CV-19 patients.

The outline for a return to learning was drafted by a team established in recent days which includes the chairman of the yeshivas committee, Rabbi Haim Aharon Kaufman and Director General of the Municipality of Bnei Brak Shmulik Litov, appointed by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will convene a special meeting tomorrow at 12pm regarding a complete return of the entire education system. Welfare Minister Ophir Akunis, A-G Aviichi Mandelblit, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Director General of the Ministry of Health Bar Siman-Tov will be in attendance.

During the meeting, haredi ministers, Deri and Litzman, are also expected to discuss the outline for resuming regular yeshiva studies instead of the long distance learning currently in place.