The in-school vaccination campaign is not progressing as expected, and the list of "red" and "orange" cities - cities with high coronavirus infection rates - is growing.
According to Israel Hayom, last week 400 public health nurses were brought in to vaccinate students at school, but over the course of two days - Wednesday and Thursday - just 2,000 took the vaccine. Since Israel began in-school vaccination, just 21,000 students received the vaccine at school.
Now, the "vaccine mobiles" have left the schools and stationed themselves at malls, offering free and available coronavirus vaccines to anyone wishing to receive one.
On Monday morning, approximately 30,000 students will begin distance learning due to high infection rates in their areas. Under the new plan, early childhood education, special education, immigrants, programs for at-risk youth, and afternoon programs will operate as usual. In "red" or "orange" areas, classes in grades 7-12 which have less than 70% of students vaccinated or recovered will move to distance learning instead of in-person teaching. This will affect 918 classrooms.=
Currently, Maaleh Adumim is the only "red" authority. "Orange" authorities include Kedumim, Givat Ze'ev, Elad, Rishon Lezion, Sakhnin, Mi'ilya, Kafr Yasif, and Be'er Ya'akov.
Rishon Lezion's Krayot quarter is "red." "Orange" quarters include Jerusalem's Baka, Talpiyot, Arnona, Makor Chaim, Givat Hananya and Shu'afat neighborhoods. Other cities' "orange" quarters include Be'er Sheva's Rova 1, Petah Tikva's Rova 7, Rishon Lezion's Remez-Katzenelson quarter, and Tel Aviv's Rova 3 North, Rova 4, and Rova 5.
Meanwhile, the Knesset's Education Committee is expected to meet Monday morning at 11:00a.m. to discuss some of the decisions and restrictions affecting the educational system.
The biggest question is how elementary schools will operate: Currently, the plan is that grades 1-6 in "red" cities will have smaller classes and hold classes outdoors, in an attempt to reduce exposure. However, the educational system does not have enough classrooms, and outdoor learning during the winter is nearly impossible. As a result, some principals may be forced to implement hybrid learning, with some learning in-person and others remotely.
As of Monday, 5,297 students are currently infected with COVID-19, representing a rise from Thursday's 4,787. A total of 40,833 students are in quarantine, up from Thursday's approximately 38,000.
Less than one-third of all students - just 27.8% - are vaccinated against COVID-19, and in the lower grades, there are approximately 900,000 students who are not vaccinated. In those grades, just 25% of students are either vaccinated or recovered.