Israel Reopens Economic Activity, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: We Are The First Nation To Rise

Illustration (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Israel reopened a large part of its economy including malls and recreational facilities on Sunday, which the government said was possible because the COVID-19 vaccine had been given to nearly half the population.

Shops have reopened, but access to gyms, hotels, and cinemas is limited to people with "green tickets," who have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, or have recovered from the disease and are suspected of having immunity.

"We are the first country in the world to revive thanks to the millions of vaccines we carry. Have you been vaccinated? Get the Green Ticket and come back to life," tweeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as quoted from Antara, Monday, February 22.

Ticket holders can prove their status by presenting a vaccination certificate or by downloading a ministry of health app which is linked to their medical records.

Exactly a year after Israel's first recorded coronavirus case, restrictions on Sundays have been eased as part of a government plan to open up the economy wider next month, as Netanyahu prepares to be re-elected in elections.

The rules for wearing masks and maintaining social distancing still apply. Synagogues, mosques, or churches are required to halve the size of their normal congregation.

Primary school children and pupils in the last two years of secondary school continue classes in cities with controlled transmission rates. Middle school pupils are still studying at home, prompting some to protest by sitting in a mall.

"I haven't gone to school for a year," said a 14-year-old demonstrator, Rotem Bachar.

"Does it make sense to open a mall to a crowd while we can't attend classes if it's limited to 15 to 20 students and has other precautions?"

Israel has given at least one dose of Pfizer Inc's vaccine to more than 46 percent of its population of 9 million, the health ministry said. The ministry said on Saturday, February 21 that the risk of disease from COVID-19 fell by 95.8 percent among people who received both injections.

Israel has recorded more than 740,000 cases and 5,500 deaths from COVID-19, and has drawn criticism of the Netanyahu administration's imposition of a nationwide lockdown that has sometimes not been properly enforced.