It is hard to count the achievements of Israel's new corona czar, Professor Ronni Gamzu: medical studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and in Tel Aviv, a specialty in gynecology, director of the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, former director general of the Health Ministry, and a senior health policy analyst for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Now he has taken on what could be the biggest job of his life. Shortly before midnight Wednesday, he received a phone call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who asked him to take on the unenviable role of coordinating the government's war on the coronavirus epidemic in Israel.
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For a month, the Israeli public has been hearing that the government was about to appoint a so-called "project manager" to overcome political chaos and restore sanity while properly managing the unprecedented healthcare crisis.
In his first interview since taking on this national mission, Gamzu told Israel Hayom that his approach to the issue "is to make every effort in the next three weeks to bring the 'attack rate' in Israel to under one, [meaning that every carrier infects one person or fewer] without a shutdown, without limiting our lives, our society, our livelihoods, or the economy," Gamzu said.
Q: What do you intend to do?
"I want to devote a major effort to improving public outreach. The Israeli public needs to understand the situation, and we need to improve the public's faith in the process of addressing the crisis.
"A second effort that is important to me is improving how we cut off outbreaks, which means increasing the number of tests and the amount of epidemiological research and the quality of quarantine. And a third focus is to adjust restrictions wisely to lessen the spread of the virus while being considerate of the public.
"In the broad sense, it's going to be an Israeli startup; no country has managed to defeat the virus without a shutdown during community spread. But I believe that Israel can do it," Gamzu says.
Gamzu is aware of the talk about the authority he has been granted. When asked whom he will be answering to – the prime minister, the health minister, or the Corona cabinet, he replies: "I work for the citizens of Israel. I report to everyone and for everyone."
Q: But who actually gives you instructions?
"The Health Ministry director general, the health minister, the National Security Council, the cabinet, the prime minister. Everyone is above me and everyone respects my need for flexibility and my opinion."
Q: What significant changes do you intend to make?
"I intend to bring all the experts to consensus on one professional opinion that will unite the public behind it, rather than the confusion that puts the public off. Also, shorter time for [processing] corona tests and epidemiological research."
Q: What is your opinion about the controversial restrictions – on leisure sites, tourism, gyms, shopping malls?
"Right now we need as little closure as possible, and as few additional restrictions as possible. All of us need to be allowed to try and make changes without more major restrictions. The change is anchored in the public's conduct, better cutoffs of outbreaks, enforcement, and our success will lie in doing all this while reducing restrictions."
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