There are 16,567 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Israel as of Thursday, with 62 in a serious condition of whom 52 are ventilated.

A total of 12,364 people have recovered from the virus, leaving only 3,939 active cases.

The death toll remains at 264 as no new deaths have been reported since Thursday night.

A plan for schools to return to full operation on Sunday in most of Israel was agreed upon in a meeting on Thursday morning with the participation of the education, health and finance ministries and the head of the Federation of Local Authorities, Modiin Mayor Chaim Bibas. The plan still needs to receive the approval of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ and be brought to the Knesset for a vote. Netanyahu is not expected to oppose the plan.

Schools will only be opened in “green zones” – cities with a low infection rate. There will be a gradual return of 4th – 10th graders until they are all attending school for a full day five days a week.

The Health Ministry is instituting strict regulations for schools, including eating separately, staggered breaks, and face masks. A Channel 12 News report said that outgoing Health Minister Director Moshe Bar Siman-Tov put in a request to consider continuing school through August based on the assumption that there will be another wave of the coronavirus in winters and schools will again be closed.

The plan came in the wake of fierce opposition from mayors and local council heads to the plan announced by the education ministry earlier this week for schools to reopen in an extremely limited fashion, with 4th -6th graders attending only one day a week and 7th-10 graders attending 2-3 days a week.

Schools will not return to full operation in “red” zones” that still have a high infection rate, such as Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem.

However, the Bnei Brak municipality announced on Thursday that municipal ganim and special education schools will re-open on Sunday.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)