Update for Friday October 16th at 11:30

Dear Residents,

We are following the decisions of the various government ministries, and we are preparing accordingly. The outline of the exit from closure was published last night, and we have been working on finding solutions to the many complexities that lie ahead:

Unfortunately, the cabinet has not yet made a decision regarding workers coming from red cities. Most of the education staff in Efrat comes from cities that are currently defined as red.

Out of our 33 ganim, 21 have staff that come from red cities.

Out of the 16 Matnas tzaharonim, 14 have assistants that live in red cities.

4 of the 16 tzaharonim do not meet the standard number of children who are allowed in the framework.

The significance of this data is twofold: on the one hand - if staff from red cities are not allowed to come to work, we will have very significant gaps in the workforce. On the other hand, if these workers are allowed to return to work, there is a grave concern that the rate of infection and isolation will increase.

In view of the government's lack of decision making, of the large gaps in the workforce, and the decision of the Ministry of Education to leave the decisions about early childhood openings to the local authorities, maonot, ganim, and tzaharonim in Erat will not open on Sunday.

Special education frameworks will continue to operate as usual.

Over the weekend, corona testing centers across the country will operate for the benefit of the educational staff. We recommended that our education staff get tested in order that those who test positive go into isolation instead of going back to school.

Dear Residents,

We are in contact with other authorities that are facing similar challenges. We are trying to prepare for a variety of scenarios, and most importantly, we are waiting for clear decisions that will allow us to make the best decisions for Efrat.

We will continue to update as things develop,

Shabbat Shalom,

The Public Information Team