Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, the head of the Health Ministry’s Public Health division, told Kikar H’Shabbat in an interview on Wednesday that the reason for the rise in the infection rate in the Chareidi sector is due to the opening of the school year without a COVID plan in place. She said that Health Ministry officials formulated a plan for Chareidi schools months before Elul but the approval for the plan’s budget [controlled by Finance Minister Avigdor Leiberman] was continuously delayed and ultimately was not approved in time. She added that the recent significant rise in the infection rate in the Chareidi sector is clearly tied to the opening of the school year on Rosh Chodesh Elul, which led to the situation today of almost all Chareidi cities now designated as red zones. Another Kikar H’Shabbat report on Wednesday said that there is a huge virus outbreak in yeshivos, also due to the fact that no plan was put in place by the government prior to Rosh Chodesh Elul. “I’m shocked at the statement of Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis regarding the government’s neglect of the children of the Chareidi community by rejecting the plan formulated by the Health Ministry ahead of Elul,” UTJ MK Yaakov Litzman said in response to the report. “This is criminal behavior on the part of the Bennett-Lapid-Lieberman-Sa’ar government, which simply abandoned hundreds of children without a proper solution during the spread of the pandemic and increasing morbidity. I demand that a thorough investigation be carried out regarding this omission, which borders on pikuach nefesh.” Shas chairman Aryeh Deri said: “The statements of Dr. Alroy-Preis are another proof that the Bennet-Lapid-Lieberman government is trying to harm the Chareidi sector as much as possible. The decision not to approve the plan led to the complete abandonment of children attending Chareidi schools, who are victims of the whims of the prime minister and finance minister.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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