- Israel wants to reopen its economy with priority for those who have had both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
- Israel is the world leader in vaccinating its people, and is starting to plan for the next one.
- The ideas are still being debated, and Israel’s final policy may change.
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Israel is discussing a plan to reopen parts of its economy for only those who have had both doses of coronavirus vaccine.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan in a speech on Sunday and the Israeli cabinet met on Monday to discuss the plans further.
The policy is likely to attract attention from around the world: Israel has vaccinated more of its population than any other nation, with about 45% of the people now receiving at least one dose.
No formal announcement was made at the time of publication, although Netanyahu set out in detail the plan he envisaged.
The Israeli prime minister said during the opening of the country’s coronavirus cabinet meeting that the country should open up “gradually and carefully”, the Jerusalem Post reported. Some in Israel are urging him to go faster.
Some details of Netanyahu’s plan were posted on his website on Sunday in the form of a transcribed speech.
It is planned that the country will open in two phases: a preliminary stage followed by a more comprehensive opening in two weeks.
In the second phase, about two weeks later, those vaccinated will enter ‘hotels, museums, cultural events, restaurants, swimming pools, shopping malls, basketball and soccer matches, flights abroad and the like’, he said.
Some media have reported that the opening of the vaccination rooms may come sooner.
Netanyahu promised in January that the entire country would be vaccinated by the end of March.
More than 2 million people, or just over 28% of the population, received two blows, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.
Data coming from Israel’s vaccination program showed on Friday that the Pfizer vaccine is 93% effective in preventing the disease, giving hope that the mass vaccination may soon return to a normal life.
Read more: ICE does not intend to vaccinate 13,860 immigrants in custody against COVID-19. Here’s how one of the USA’s most dangerous groups falls through the cracks.
However, young Israelis were less willing to take the shots, which may delay the rollout because more of the adult population is being offered vaccinations.
This is causing tension in the run-up to the March election, which will determine whether Netanyahu will remain in office.
Hareetz reported that Netanyahu also announced on Sunday that he intends to push through legislation to make the names of people yet to be vaccinated known to local authorities.
The country has also been criticized for excluding the Palestinians from the vaccination, insider Erin Snodgrass reported.