With hundreds of students in quarantine as coronavirus spreads in newly reopened schools across Israel, an increasing number of educational institutions are moving to distance learning or closing altogether.
Two high schools in Be'er Sheva were among the latest to close their doors on Tuesday and Wednesday after both saw the appearance of the virus among their student bodies.
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Students at a Be'er Sheva High School are sent home due to a coronavirus outbreak
(Photo: Herzl Yosef)
A high school in Jerusalem also decided to close entirely after two of its students became infected.
According to the latest figures, 118 people tested positive for the virus on Monday, the highest daily number in more than a month.
The number of tests has also increased, with 10,574 conducted on Tuesday.
Due to the increase in cases of infection, the Education Ministry has formulated a new procedure to tackle outbreaks in schools.
According to the new plan, schools will take a preliminary decision to close as soon as there is one verified case at the site.
At present, schools are only closed and students and teachers placed in quarantine when there are at least two or three verified cases.
Furthermore, as parents, administrators and teachers demand that schools be allowed to implement integrated distance learning, the Education Ministry has asked the Treasury to formally recognize distance learning in order to ensure that teachers are paid properly.
On Tuesday, a military report circulated among health officials calling on schools to use remote studying to reduce student attendance and the risk of coronavirus infections.
The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center of the Military Intelligence Directorate released a review that focuses on a coronavirus outbreak in Jerusalem, as 173 people with a direct link to the Gymnasia Rehavia High School are diagnosed with the virus, including staff, students and others.