Coronavirus: Quarantine for schoolchildren may end next week - Bennett

• Author: ROSSELLA TERCATIN
• Published date: 06 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"In light of the success in fighting the fourth wave – the numbers are falling every day – as part of the rethinking of the strategy, I want to find a solution to bring forward the exemption from quarantine for students in green cities as early as next week, without waiting until October 15," he said, while speaking with the national team in charge of the fight against the pandemic. "The principle is this: tests instead of isolations."

"I ask you to come up with solutions," he said, addressing health officials. "I want to give peace of mind to parents that they can go to work and send their children to school, and end this period of uncertainty."

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According to the plan that has been discussed over the past two months, children are going to be tested regularly in order to quickly identify those who are infected and avoid outbreaks in schools. In addition, if they are exposed to a verified case, students will be checked every day for a week – with a PCR at the beginning and at the end of the period, and rapid tests in between – and won't have to quarantine unless they receive a positive result.

A pilot to test the feasibility of the outline – known as "Green Class" – has been carried out in a few schools around the country.

Cities and neighborhoods in Israel are labeled by the Health Ministry as green, yellow, orange or red based on their level of morbidity, rate of vaccination and other parameters under the "Traffic Light" system.

"At the request of the prime minister, the issue will be examined," the ministry said after Bennett's remarks. "In any case, it is necessary to complete the pilot in order to formulate a responsible and...