Israeli senior government officials have reached a decision to end mandatory quarantine for students exposed to COVID, Israeli media reported on Thursday evening.

Students who are exposed to COVID and are asymptomatic will no longer be required to isolate. Instead, all students will be required to be tested for COVID at home twice a week, Sunday and Wednesday mornings before school, and students who are positive or are symptomatic will be required to quarantine at home.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and Education Minister Yifat Sasha-Biton announced the new policy at a press conference on Thursday night. “The children of Israel are returning to study continuously beginning in another week,” Bennett said, adding that “tens of millions” of antigen test kits will be distributed to parents.

According to a Channel 12 News report, senior Health Minister officials requested to continue required quarantine in the educational system until the current wave of infections subsides. However, Education Minister Yifat Sasha-Biton demanded that the plan be implemented immediately. A compromise was reached to implement the new regulations in seven days.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)