On Thursday, Israel’s Health Ministry has decided that the country’s Chevra Kadisha workers and volunteers will be included in the 1st priority population grouping to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The Chevra Kadisha workers will now be included among those of high-risk, the older population, and the Health Workers, who are all being included in the first grouping of people allowed to receive the vaccine in Israel.

The decision was made following the request of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaakov Avitan, who responded to the requests of many staff and volunteers of the Chevra Kadisha who threatened to strike should they not be included in the first grouping of people to receive the vaccine.

The Chevra Kadisha representatives claimed that as people who deal with dead bodies, they are at risk of contracting the disease and thus they deserve to be included in the first group of the populace who receive the vaccine.

The Ministry decided that in addition to allowing the members to receive the vaccine, there would also be special vaccination centers set up specifically for them so that they could be vaccinated quickly in the coming days.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)