Cutting the quarantine period for soldiers who have tested positive for coronavirus helped maintain the military's combat readiness, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief medical officer said on Wednesday.
Israel's most recent COVID-19 outbreak, stoked by the highly infectious Omicron variant, has been showing signs of steady decline in recent days, also affecting the military, with fewer confirmed cases reported each day.
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IDF Chief Medical Officer Brig. Gen. Dr. Alon Glasberg
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"It's no time to celebrate just yet, but we are beginning to sum up the effects of the Omicron wave," Brig. Gen. Dr. Alon Glasberg said. "It was our recommendation, and I was pleased that when we requested the Health Ministry experts to shorten quarantines, they listened."
"Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash took a brave step here, not just for the benefit of the IDF. We had a say in this matter because we thought it was critical for the IDF, and this was a very difficult decision. Only a few weeks back, we had to stay in quarantine for 14 days, now we are down to just five, and that's a massive change."
Glasberg lamented that frequently changing health orders confused rank and file soldiers and commanders alike, with some even asking their subordinates to arrive on the base despite testing positive for coronavirus.
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IDF troops packing COVID-19 testing kits at a distribution center
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
"Our orders changed so many times, and what was right one moment, was irrelevant in the next, and it was really hard to follow the constantly updating directives. I accept the fact that in large organizations, it sometimes takes time for everyone to follow the same orders. We are a large army, and a heavy organization in this aspect, made up of great people, and everyone has their own ideas about the different matters, so from time to time, we may veer off the right course.
However, we managed to balance things out and fix this issue. The IDF considers it paramount to learn from its mistakes and improve. I wouldn't say we excelled in this issue, but we tried very hard and did our best, and the results show we have managed to keep the IDF combat ready."