Local authorities can prevent teachers from entering school compounds if they don’t present a negative coronavirus test or agree to get vaccinated, an Israeli court ruled on Sunday.
The Tel Aviv District Labour Court rejected a petition filed by an assistant teacher who had been asked by her employers and local municipality to present a negative coronavirus test each week, or else get vaccinated, if she wanted to continue teaching in the school in a town north-east of Tel Aviv.
The petitioner’s right to privacy and respect for her own body was not greater “at this stage” than the right of pupils, parents and staff to life and health, and “therefore the right and obligation of the municipality to protect these,” a court statement said.
The court cited a need to find a balance between these opposing rights and called on lawmakers to enact laws that would ensure uniformity and clarity.
Since Israel launched the biggest vaccination campaign in its history three months ago, more than 5 million of the country’s 9.3 million citizens have received a first jab, while more than 4.5 million have also received the required second jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Numbers of infections and of seriously ill patients have begun declining.