Coronavirus commissar Prof. Ronni Gamzu apologized for the criticism he voiced against Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, after he thought the rabbi had instructed yeshiva students not to be tested for coronavirus. It turned out that Rabbi Kanievsky actually did not give such an instruction.
"An examination I conducted shows that Rabbi Kanievsky did not instruct not to be tested, rather a decision was made by a number of rabbis regarding specific cases among yeshiva students staying in capsules," Gamzu said.
"Therefore, I regret the misunderstanding following the erroneous publication in the name of Rabbi Kanievsky, whom I respect and cherish, and I retract what I said," Gamzu added.
Last week it was reported in the media that Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the senior rabbis in the haredi community, ordered haredi yeshivot to stop conducting coronavirus tests for students, because they come at the expense of Torah study.
Coronavirus commissar Prof. Ronni Gamzu came out against the rabbi's directive, claiming that "the announcement endangers the haredi public by continuing the contagion." Gamzu warned that "the consistent refusal to cooperate on the part of some of the 'red' cities could lead to an outbreak of extremely serious illness. Currently, 28% of the general morbidity is in the Arab sector, while haredi society constitutes 22% of the total morbidity in Israel."