Former Health Ministry Director-General Gabi Barbash slammed the coronavirus cabinet’s decision to open Israel’s schools on September 1 in all cities, saying that “no normal country in the world would dare to operate the educational system with an infection rate of 2,000 people per day.” “The leadership is too attentive to what the public wants instead of what it needs and as a result decisions are made that make it difficult to manage the crisis,” Barbash elaborated. Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu is also adamantly opposed to opening schools in red cities with high infection rates on Tuesday but he was overruled by Educational Minister Yoav Gallant and other ministers who voted to open all schools in all cities on Tuesday, regardless of infection rate. Barbash was offered the position of coronavirus czar before Gamzu but ultimately refused at the last minute following a conflict about the extent of the authority the coronavirus czar would have as well as the division of power between the prime minister, the health ministry and the czar. Barbash added on Monday that with his temperament he would have already resigned the position three times: once over the decision to allow 17,000 students from abroad into Israel, a second time over Uman, and the third time over opening schools in red zones. Following an outbreak of the coronavirus in May after Israel’s schools were re-opened following the lockdown over Pesach, Barbarsh said in an interview that “putting 30-40 kids together and hoping the virus wouldn’t spread was a mistake.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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