Israel’s school year began on Tuesday morning, with 2.4 million schoolchildren beginning the school year, albeit with major restrictions, especially for 5th graders and above who will have limited hours in the classroom, with the remaining hours conducted via online learning.

However, not all schools opened on Tuesday. The coronavirus cabinet made a late-night about-face decision on Monday night at 11:30 p.m. to delay the reopening of schools in 23 red cities after initially voting against the move on Sunday.

The decision was a victory for Prof. Ronni Gamzu, who had adamantly opposed the opening of schools in cities with high rates of infection.

“It could be that the education minister will be justified in the end, but this is not about who is right,” Gamzu said to reporters on Monday afternoon. “We manage risks, and this is not a risk to take,” he said, adding that he believes that there won’t be a single school in red cities without at least one coronavirus carrier.

At the afternoon press conference, Gamzu said he intends to fight against allowing schools in red cities to reopen, adding that many municipal authorities in red and orange cities have requested restrictions to reduce infection rates in their localities, including the delay of the opening of the school year.

The coronavirus czar added that the opening of Israel’s educational system on time is a serious risk at a time when the daily coronavirus rate is still so high.

Gamzu also said at the press briefing that the infection rate in the Arab sector is extremely high. The Health Ministry published a list of 24 red cities on Monday and almost all are Arab or Druze communities, with only five Jewish localities on the list: Beitar Illit, Emmanuel, Rechasim, Tiveria and Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel.

The delay in the school year is currently only in place until Thursday, when the coronavirus cabinet will convene again to evaluate the situation.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Gallant participated in a ceremony in honor of the first day of school at a school in Mevo Choron in the Binyamin Regional Council area:

שר החינוך גלנט הגיע לברך את תלמידי בית הספר "נטעים" במבוא חורון שבבנימין@SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/06Vu5SKs8f

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 1, 2020

1/3 לאחר עבודה מאומצת ובהתרגשות רבה נפתחה היום שנת הלימודים התשפ״א.
תודתי לראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו ולחברי הממשלה על סיועם בפתיחת שנה״ל ותמיכתם בתוכנית "לומדים בביטחון" אותה הצגתי לאישורם. pic.twitter.com/En0E5M9ApS

— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) September 1, 2020

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein visited Gush Etzion and spoke at a school in Efrat:

שר הבריאות @YuliEdelstein פותח הבוקר את שנת הלימודים בבית הספר "אורות עציון בנים" באפרת. השר מדבר עם המורים והתלמידים ומוודא שכולם עומדים בהנחיות ומבינים את חשיבותן.@ynetalerts pic.twitter.com/vGBgDmYZfw

— Haim Goldich | חיים גולדיטש (@HGoldich) September 1, 2020

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)