Prognosis

As U.S. Schools Reopen, Israel’s Mistakes Offer Cautionary Tale

Once a model, Israel now has among world’s highest case rates
A big mistake may have been starting classes up too quickly

A school principal demonstrates how to maintain social distancing at an elementary school in the suburbs of Jerusalem on May 3, 2020.Photographer: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images

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By Ivan Levingston

August 11, 2020 at 12:50 PM UTC

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Israel has gone from being a model of Covid-19 containment in March to suffering one of the world’s highest per-capita rates of new infections. One explanation -- especially relevant as the academic year dawns -- is that it may have reopened schools too quickly and imprudently.