MK Ofir Sofer (Religious Zionism) called for the start of the upcoming school year to be delayed, due to the rise in coronavirus infection rates.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Sofer said: "Beginning the school year on September 1 is an unwise action, and its gain will be outweighed by its loss. The days of quarantine during the holiday period, and the school days that we will all lose out on, will be the main benefit. It's still not too late to make a practical decision and delay the start of the school year."
"In the end, there is a process here that is underway, and that is the completion of the vaccinations, and the time in which we will see the effect of the vaccinations."
He added: "At the same time, there are two events here: the holidays, and the start of the school year. It would be appropriate to stop one of them, and obviously, it's only possible to delay the start of the school year, and especially the elementary schools, where the students are not vaccinated."
"For those three days from the start of the school year until Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), we can pay a high price and cause thousands of families in Israel to be in quarantine and infected with the virus. I call on the Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett; Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton (New Hope) - forget the 'pretty' picture of starting the school year on September 1, which will cost us so much. I understand the pressures, but we need to take responsibility. I promise to support you from the opposition."
Sofer also said that he unequivocally supports vaccinating students in schools: "There is a real effort here to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and this is one of the ways [to do it]," he said.