10% of workers are currently absent from the economy, and it is estimated that this number will stand at 30% as early as next week. The representative of the National Security Council made this assessment this Monday, in a situational assessment discussion with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and the figure was published for the first time today on Army Radio.
Currently, about a quarter of a million Israelis are in isolation, and the numbers are expected to rise in the coming days.
The president of the Manufacturers’ Association addressed Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman last week, demanding that the state prepare to help employers finance the costs of workers' sick days, in light of the spread of the Omicron strain. He estimates that the cost of the sick days that will be borne by the employers is about 5 billion shekels a month.
Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David also commented on the increase in isolation, saying that an attempt should be made to avoid the unemployment benefits model used in the last rounds of lockdown. He referred to the isolation outline signed during previous peaks in the virus between the Histadrut, the government and the employers, and said that he intends to refresh the outline.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Lily Sieradzki.
