As the ministerial committee on coronavirus decided Friday on the partial renewal of schools, municipalities and local councils have declared they will refuse to allow schools under their jurisdiction to open.
The ministers who met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided that schools will resume Sunday while operating under Health Ministry guidelines for first to third grades in primary schools and 11th and 12th grade for high schools.
Religious schools will open for 7th and 8th-grade students.
Preschools and nurseries will remain closed until May 10 and 6th graders will return to schools no later than June 1.
The ministerial committee decided there would be no mandatory studies and parents will be able to decide whether or not they want to send their children back while the risk of infection from coronavirus is still high.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said he commended the plan to reopen the educational establishments gradually, but added that since it is the job of local government to implement the ministers' decisions, and since regulations have not been established he would not be able to risk opening the city's schools at this time.
"It was not helpful to receive conflicting reports and to be told of a decision at the last moment, makes opening our schools next week a dangerous move," the mayor said.
The Tel Aviv primary schools' parents' associations commanded the municipality for their decision sighting conflicting instructions and unanswered questions.
The mayor of neighboring Ramat Gan also said he would not open schools in his city. Mayor Carmel Shama said: "The government is disconnected from the people and the facts on the ground," adding no schools will be opened before all the problems are solved.
The Director-General of the Education Ministry Shmuel Abuav said he is pleased with the decision to open schools and that ministry workers have been busy preparing classrooms for a gradual reopening.
"We have a clear plan to meet all requirements," he said.