Public Health Services head Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis on Wednesday told Galei Zahal Radio that the Health Ministry is examining the next steps in managing the rise in coronavirus infections, warning that "it may be that additional restrictions will be imposed on some cities."
According to her, another option is that Israelis will not be allowed to visit family over the holidays.
When asked about the "red" cities in which coronavirus infection rates are high, Dr. Alroy-Preis said, "When the list of cities is final, it will be released. It is certainly possible that there will be additional restrictions on cities, in addition to what was written in the 'traffic light' plan. It is certainly possible that in some areas, which are hotspots, there will be additional restrictions."
Regarding the fact that schools in red cities did not end up opening on September 1, she said, "I agree that there was confusion. The process was done in a less than ideal fashion. We know that when things are done this way, it doesn't contribute to the public's faith. We decided that it is more important to prevent infection."
She added: "I hope that the plan will make it so that not every school will be closed in case of infections. There will be an organized policy regarding how we close schools and who we quarantine."
"We said in any case that we want to avoid a lockdown over the holidays, but if infection rates continue rising, and we see that we're not managing to control it in another way, then a lockdown is a tactical step which will help reduce infections."
When asked whether Israelis will need to avoid visiting family over the holidays, Dr. Alroy-Preis said, "That certainly could be. We will need to recommend how much we're limiting movement. The statistics at that time will dictate whether there will be a full lockdown or less than that."
"We all need to wait and follow the guidelines. If a school in Jerusalem is opened to a party with thousands of children who dance right next to each other - that won't help us wait. If we continue with these steps, it's clear to us that we'll end up with a lockdown. Without cooperation from the public, we won't succeed, no matter how much we try."