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Siegal Sadetzki, an epidemiologist, announced her resignation a
day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet reimposed
a series of restrictions, including the closure of bars, gyms
and event halls.
After a national lockdown in April, Israel flattened the
coronavirus infection curve in May to about 20 new cases a day.
But since the reopening of schools and many businesses two
months ago, the number of cases has soared, reaching more than
1,000 a day last week. The Health Ministry said it expected the
number of patients on ventilators - now 32 - to reach 2,000.
In a statement on Facebook, Sadetzki said she decided to resign
because her warnings about attempting to return to normal
conditions too quickly had been ignored.
"It has been several weeks since Israel's compass for handling
the pandemic has lost its bearings," she wrote.
"The achievements in dealing with the first wave (of infections)
were cancelled out by the broad and swift opening of the
economy" that outpaced many other countries.
With only 37% of Israelis trusting the government's handling of
the pandemic, according to a survey published on Monday by N2
News, against 59% who distrust it, her criticism of official
policy could add to a sense of public unease.
At a cabinet session on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel needed to
take "limited actions" now to avoid a wider lockdown later that
could paralyse its economy, where unemployment is just above
20%.
In her statement, Sadetzki recommended that Israel limit
gatherings to no more than 20 people and reimpose greater social
distancing in work places and schools.
Israel, with a population of nine million, has reported more
than 31,000 coronavirus cases and 338 dead.
(Editing by Gareth Jones)
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