JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel lifted many of its coronavirus restrictions and began reopening its economy on Sunday as the country’s vaccination process and third countrywide exclusion began to bring down infections.
Most classes and high school classes are open again after a closure of almost two months, along with museums, libraries, shopping malls and markets. Some restrictions on the number of people there remain applicable. The total education system is expected to return to normal in early March.
Gymnasiums, swimming pools, cinemas and restaurants open to people who have received two doses of coronavirus vaccine.
Israel has unveiled its plan to allow the vaccinated to attend cultural events, fly abroad and sign restaurants and health clubs using a “green badge” app before reopening the economy. The deployment of the app contains technical issues.
After Pfizer entered into an agreement to trade data for doses, Israel’s vaccination campaign has become the fastest in the past two months. Nearly half of the population of 9.3 million received the first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. Nearly 3 million got the second chance.
Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from its extremely successful vaccination campaign. The dispute underscores the Palestinians’ confidence in Israel, even as they struggle to fight the pandemic on their own. Last week, Israel made possible the first 2,000 doses of Russian Sputnik V vaccine from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.
However, the coronavirus is still spreading rapidly in Israel, and restrictions on movement and gathering have remained in place since the government imposed a nationwide exclusion in late December.
Israel has recorded at least 743,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 5,521 deaths since the pandemic began last year. The three barriers paralyzed the economy and drove unemployment to more than 20%.