Children of all ages contract the coronavirus and infect other children and adults, according to initial, unofficial and still incomplete research conducted by the Gertner Institute. It should be noted, however, that other studies conducted across the globe present different findings or are at least inconclusive on the matter.
The final results of the Gertner Institute study will be presented on Thursday to senior Health Ministry's officials, for the purpose of policymaking and recommending a gradual reopening of schools and pre-schools across the country.
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According to senior Health Ministry officials, based on the study's apparent findings thus far the ministry would likely advise the government not to open up schools next week because doing so could cause another outbreak of the coronavirus in Israel. Another possibility is that the Health Ministry will at least recommend reopening schools far more gradually than proposed in the plan recommended by the Education Ministry.
Some senior officials are now recommending that only grade schools open since they are more likely to be able to adhere to guidelines set by the Health Ministry.
One senior Health Ministry official said that initial scientific and medical analyses of the information the Gertner Institute has thus far compiled have raised serious concerns about what could happen if schools and pre-schools open their doors next week.
The Gertner Institute for Health Policy and Epidemiology is a think tank for the Health Ministry operating out of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer. The study was spearheaded by Dr. Amit Huppert.
Thousands of parents have expressed their unwillingness to send their children to school on Sunday out of concern that the Education Ministry will not be able to guarantee the health of their children. The parents signed petitions online calling for schools to remain closed.
A separate study published around one week ago by senior researchers from the Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center determined that "there is no doubt that opening pre-schools and schools to children must be done carefully and in conjunction with a variety of social distancing measures, and perhaps with additional means in the initial period, such as routine temperature checks during the school day, studying in shifts, dividing classrooms and meticulously observing hygiene standards.
"The school staff will also have to change its behavior, and it's best if the reopening of schools begins in areas that are not outbreak centers and is accompanied by strict monitoring of morbidity among the children, parents and teachers. It should be noted that at this stage social distancing between grandparents and grandchildren should remain intact due to the high-risk factor concerning the elderly."
