The Health Ministry is set to draft an outline that would see the education system "significantly" reopen from next week in the wake of declining coronavirus cases.
Israel's coronavirus restrictions have almost all been lifted due to the country's high-paced vaccination campaign. However, since children below the age of 16 currently cannot be vaccinated, many curbs on the education system have remained in place but are set to expire this Saturday.
Israeli officials held a meeting on Wednesday afternoon on whether to extend the restrictions beyond this week and Blue & White lawmakers said they will not support an extension to the current curbs.
Defense Minister and Blue & White Chairman Benny Gantz demanded from education and health ministries to draft an outline that would allow for further reopening of the education system as soon as next week.
The emphasis appears to be on grades 7-10, which currently study in class only two days a week and since the start of the pandemic missed many study days.
"Immediate agreements must be reached between education and health ministries on an outline based on extensive reopening of higher grades and immediate return to full-time in class studies of grades 7-10," Blue & White said in a statement.
Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash, who attended the meeting, proposed to scrap the current capsule system for children in grades 1-6.
He also proposed to bring back children in grades 7-10 to full-time frontal studies on condition they undergo weekly rapid PCR coronavirus tests.