Israeli Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov and professor Siegal Sadetzki hold a press conference in Tel Aviv about the coronavirus, Feb. 24, 2020. Photo: Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.

JNS.org – Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov resigned on Tuesday after managing Israel’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

“I notified today to the prime minister and the health minister that I decided to resign my position as the director of the health ministry,” Siman Tov posted on Twitter, along with his resignation letter. “I am proud of my years of service and dealing with the corona crisis,” he wrote.

He added that he would remain in place to ease the transfer for the next director.

Siman Tov’s positions were very conservative, and he came under criticism from ministers and officials for the tough measures he implemented, according to a report by Ynet. Health officials noted that his relationship with outgoing Health Ministery Yaakov Litzman was also poor in recent weeks.