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Approximately 25-30 hospitals will benefit. The sitting areas will enable medical staff and patients to take a break from the daily coronavirus grind, while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines.
In these challenging and difficult days, which require us to keep our distance from one another, and the danger of infection within closed spaces ever-present, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael - Jewish National Fund Board of Directors has decided to establish shaded outdoor sitting areas for coronavirus wards in approximately 25-30 hospitals around Israel.
These sitting areas will provide hospital visitors, patients and medical staff with an outdoor area to meet up or take a break, while adhering to health guidelines and social distancing rules.
These sitting areas will include benches specially adapted for people to sit at least 2 meters from one another. Ornamental trees and plants and a shaded area will allow patients to take a break from hospital surroundings and for medical staff working around the clock to grab a moment’s rest in relaxing surroundings.
The project came together following requests from Prof. Ronni Gamzu, Director of Tel Aviv’s Ichilov and National Coronavirus Coordinator, and from the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, which drew our attention to the need for such areas. In light of these requests, the KKL-JNF executive decided to get on board, adopting the initiative to create green sitting areas in hospitals with coronavirus wards around the country. Hospitals to receive sitting corners adapted to COVID-19 restrictions include the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, the Sheba Medical Center in Tel HaShomer, the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera, the Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Poriya, and others. The sitting areas are due to be built in the coming months, to the tune of hundreds of thousands of shekels.
KKL-JNF World Chairman Daniel Atar said in a statement, "We have decided to set up new relaxation areas in hospitals, in order to boost the morale of patients, medical staff and anyone who visits the hospitals during these challenging times, and to allow them to rest for a moment in a pleasant outdoor multipurpose space."