Israel is preparing to split in half from next week, with the government creating a new privileged level in society: the vaccinated.
Nearly 50% of the population who chose to be vaccinated against Covid will receive a “green pass” a week after their second shot, as well as those with suspected immunity after contracting the disease.
From Sunday, the pass offers access to gyms, hotels, swimming pools, concerts and places of worship. Restaurants and bars will be included from early March.
For the rest, including children under 16 who are not eligible for coronavirus shots, many of the activities shut down during the year-long crisis will remain out of bounds, although some will be available if they deliver a negative coronavirus test.
“This is what the first phase will look like in returning to your near-normal lives,” Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said this week. The pass is being launched on a mobile app that should scan businesses with access, and many Israelis are excited.
Itamar Weinberg, 18, had hoped that 2020 would be a year to escape the country for a break, as he would have to do military service this year. He planned to go on safari in Tanzania last summer.
Weinberg said he was anxiously awaiting the reopening. “I want my last few months of freedom before I join the army to be filled with late-night bar hopping and typical teenage adventures.”
Israel’s record arrangement for vaccination has been watched by other governments who see it as a test case for what lies ahead. The initial data suggests that the jabs are extremely effective in reducing infections and hospital admissions in the country of 9 million.
The green pass policy is the next step, although it remains untested.
How Israel will properly implement the scheme has yet to be seen. Three closures regularly saw noticeable violations of the rules, with many frustrated cafe managers and shop owners opening despite bans. The same businesses will be given the task of enforcing who comes in or stays out.
The Ministry of Health is also concerned that vaccination documents could be forged and has warned that anyone caught with a fake certificate could face a fine of 5,000 shekels (about £ 1,000).
Meanwhile, with limited information on how vaccinated people can still transmit the disease, there are still concerns about how the move could lead to more infection.
One hotel near the Sea of Galilee, the Hagoshrim Hotel and Nature, said it plans to open its swimming pool and gym to the public on Sunday.
“Of course, the biggest problem is with minors,” said hotel director Armin Grunewald, 53. “They can not be vaccinated. So to get to the gym or the pool twice a week, they need to be tested twice a week. This sounds problematic. ”
While the green pass is an interim method of reopening the economy, it serves a different purpose in a country where anyone over the age of 16 can get vaccinated for free – people who have hitherto held on for a while. , persuaded. The daily vaccination rates dropped this month, but this week it started to pick up again as the details of the new pass were announced.
The owner of Cafe Kalo in West Jerusalem said he was confused about how the green pass would work, but supported it in principle.
“If you are not vaccinated, you do not respect me, so why should I respect you?” said Yaacov Ben Elul, 60, and was vaccinated. “You’re endangering me and the rest of the people.”
Israel has made preliminary plans for the green pass to eventually allow vaccinated people to go on holiday without isolating themselves. It includes agreements with Greece and Cyprus for a trial run in the spring. How this will work, however, is still being discussed. The vaccination certificate was chosen this week as a green pass, rather than a ‘green passport’, which would suggest that it is already useful for international travel.
Vaccination privileges have been looked at in several countries, but the idea has often caused a setback for privacy campaigns and rights groups. The Ethics Council of Germany, an independent body advising the government there, recommended that no complicated conditions be granted, saying it could encourage an “elbow mentality” that could lead to unrest.
With an already very unequal international vaccination pressure, green passes, especially when traveling, will see citizens of richer, more powerful countries first to enjoy the benefits.
Israel is already under pressure over its vaccination campaign. Millions of Palestinians living under his control in the occupied territories are only now receiving the first groups of limited doses.
In Israel, Avichai Green, 32, said he had not been vaccinated because, among other things, he did not trust his government to be transparent. He said the green pass was a ‘dangerous’ step and a ‘slippery slope’.
“Marking all those who have not been vaccinated as a spreader of diseases, or restricting the movement of those who have not been vaccinated, is a violation of human rights,” he said.
“This is something that has not existed here before,” he added. “It will create a separation between the people.”