School Openings Reassert Israel’s Belief That It Leads Nations Into Post-Corona Era

Presumably in large part a consequence of Israel’s yearlong, three-try national election process, the Israeli leadership has staked its claim that the incumbent government has steered the ship-of-state through the dangerous waters of the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of other countries equally hard-hit. It is against this background that more than one million schoolchildren returned to class on Sunday. Those who returned had the option not to do so. The government voted only on Thursday to allow the resumption of classes for grades one to three and 11 to 12. Ground rules for attending school appear to be much lighter than the show of authority used to enforce “stay at home” time, such as the now legendary police chase of a surfer off a Tel Aviv beach and the stops of civilians on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv witnessed by this news agency. Regarding school, parents have the right to continue to keep their children at home while additional policy points are worked out. The students in grades one to three will find themselves in classes of only 17 students. Eleventh- and 12^th-graders need access to school because of the fast-approaching dates for Israel’s high school matriculation exams. And just as the bag-check at the entrance to public buildings became ubiquitous, accepted and expected by the public following waves of terror attacks, a scan by an infrared thermometer is now de rigueur at many reopened venues.