Israel to reopen some schools on Sunday if coronavirus curve allows

Israel will begin a staggered reopening of schools next week if the latest health data does not warn of heightened coronavirus risk, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Monday.

Netanyahu’s office said children in the first three years of primary school would resume studies on Sunday, the beginning of the Israeli work-week, in reduced class sizes of no more than 15 pupils.

Kindergartens and nurseries will reopen with children allotted specific days rather than a full week of attendance, keeping them in small groups, a statement from the office said.

It described these measures as “the initial stage” of “a gradual reopening of the educational system in accordance with up-to-date morbidity data” that would be reviewed on Friday.

It said school reopenings would hinge on the data “not pointing to an exacerbation vector” in the coronavirus spread.