Israeli Schools Continue Reopening Despite Virus Spike

After nearly nine months of forced home schooling, thousands of high school students in Israel returned to their classrooms Sunday as the nation’s education system completed its gradual reopening. After elementary schools and junior highs were partially reopened over the past two weeks, high school students will now also attend at least two days of in-person classes, while the rest of the curriculum will continue to be taught via Zoom. The rollback of the total national lockdown, enforced in Israel for the second time nearly two months ago, has concerned some health officials, as coronavirus figures have shown a steady spike in recent days. After remaining below or close to 2% all last week, the rate of positive tests over the weekend jumped to 3.3%, with the number of new infections, serious cases and deaths also showing troubling trends. With approximately 1,000 new cases diagnosed every day, there are currently 510 Israelis hospitalized with the virus, 280 of whom are in serious condition. Close to 2,900 have died since the pandemic began.