– We must prepare for any possible scenario, says the country’s prime minister about the unusual exercise.
Israel conducted a nationwide and war-like exercise on Thursday to test preparedness and the authorities’ ability to respond to a hypothetical outbreak with a new and more deadly covid-19 variant.
The hypothetical variant was referred to as “Omega”.
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The Israeli prime minister says in a statement that no other country has so far held a similar exercise. Senior members of the Israeli government, health authorities and the military participated in the exercise, writes The Washington Post.
The untraditional exercise was held at the National Emergency Center in Jerusalem, which is an underground bunker.
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The exercise was held over three sessions and focused on various aspects of the authorities’ response in real time.
– Must prepare us for any possible scenario
The purpose of the exercise was to simulate the aftermath of a flare-up, and thus test the robustness of mechanisms and decision-making processes related to shutdowns, monitoring of new variants, financial support to citizens, quarantine orders and border monitoring.
– While the situation for the coronavirus in the world is deteriorating, Israel is safe and protected, says Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in a statement.
“To maintain this and to ensure the continuity of a normal life, we must continue to monitor the situation closely and prepare for any possible scenario,” says Bennett.
Israel was able to recover from a fourth pandemic in October, thanks in large part to high vaccine coverage and the offer of a third vaccine dose to anyone over the age of twelve. The Israelis have also run a tight regime with strict bandages and so-called corona passes in connection with restaurant visits and access to cultural events.
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Large reduction in the number of seriously ill
The number of severe coronary heart disease in Israel has fallen from 700 in August to 149 in November. The number of new daily cases of infection has fallen from 10,000 a day in August to just under 500 in November, writes Bloomberg.
Israel has also opened its borders to fully vaccinated tourists this month. This is despite the fact that some Israeli experts are calling for even stronger infection control measures.
Israel is now preparing to vaccinate the 5 to 11 age group.
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