The Israeli government’s Coronavirus Cabinet is set to convene Wednesday for deliberations on the possibility of opening up elementary schools ahead of schedule.
Under the lockdown exit strategy drawn up by the Health Ministry, studies for grades 1-4 are set to resume at the beginning of November, with grades 5-12 reopening only on January 10th of next year.
But the Education Ministry, under the leadership of Education Minister Yoav Galant (Likud), is pushing to reopen schools earlier than planned, despite opposition from the Health Ministry.
Education Minister Yoav Galant and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) are working to reach a compromise prior to the Coronavirus Cabinet’s meeting Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the ministerial committee on restricted areas downgraded a number of haredi-majority towns and neighborhoods in Jerusalem from “red” – indicating high infection rates – thereby reducing some of the lockdown restrictions left in place this week.