Large numbers of Israelis packed shopping malls, gyms and swimming pools on Sunday after the country had to push back some of the key restrictions imposed as a result of its third exclusion at the end of December to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Television reports showed crowds hitting shopping malls to take advantage of their first opportunity to browse stores for a few weeks.
Although buyers have largely complied with the health guidelines, in some cases it has been seen that people congregate and do not keep social distance.
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Street shops, malls, markets, museums and libraries are open to all Israelites.
Those vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 were able to enter gyms, sporting and cultural events, hotels and swimming pools, although the “Green Pass” computer system repeatedly crashed, prompting the Ministry of Health to release the vaccination certificates used as evidence until it was running properly.
Israelis shop at Ayalon Mall in Ramat Gan after reopening after closure of the country’s coronavirus on 21 February 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)
The reopening comes amid a steady decline in disease, especially among high-risk groups, which is mainly attributed to Israel’s rapid vaccination campaign.
More than 4.3 million Israelis received their first vaccine dose, and more than 2.9 million both received shots, among the population of about 9 million, the Ministry of Health said Sunday. About 3 million Israelis are currently unable to be vaccinated, including those under 16 and people who have recovered from COVID-19, among others.
The Ministry of Health said on Saturday that coronavirus vaccines were “dramatically” effective and that the latest data showed that the shots were 98.9% effective in preventing death by COVID-19.
However, coronavirus tsar Nachman Ash told Army Radio yesterday morning that the impact of the vaccine should not be considered a license to be wary of the wind.
Coronavirus Tsar Nachman Ash at a vaccination center in Herzliya, 20 December 2020 (Flash90)
“I’m glad to see the data, but it needs to be treated carefully so that the public does not make a mistake and think that it is possible to act as you wish,” he said.
The Military Intelligence task force said on Sunday that Israel’s R-value, the reproduction number of the virus that measures transmission, or the number of new cases resulting from each coronavirus infection, had dropped from 0.85 last week to 0.79.
Health officials stated that an R-number below 0.8 was needed to weaken the restrictions.
The announcement comes when the health ministry said another 1,240 people had been diagnosed with the virus on Saturday. There tends to be fewer cases after the weekend due to lower test levels.
The ministry said 857 people were in serious condition, including 273 on fans, and the death toll was 5,569.
In addition to opening the trade, grades 5-6 and 11-12 were allowed to resume classes in cities with low infestation or medium-infested with high vaccination rates. Kindergartens and grades 1-4 were previously opened in cities listed as ‘green’ and ‘yellow’ in the government’s color coding system for disease rates.
Grades 7-10 across the country are expected to learn at least two more weeks at a distance, and the director general of the Ministry of Health, Chezy Levy, told the Kan public broadcaster on Sunday morning that all students will go to school on March 7. will return.
“We wanted to open things up carefully, not to put all the students in the school together and cause infection and disease,” he said.
Students will return to Gabrieli Carmel School in Tel Aviv on February 11, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni / Flash90)
Infection rates among children and the reopening of the school are a major source of concern during the outbreak of Israel in the third wave. Children represent a greater proportion of infections than earlier in the pandemic, possibly due to the new virus variants and the fact that a significant proportion of adults have been vaccinated.
Levy said Israel plans to vaccinate children as soon as the vaccine is approved for them, but does not provide a timeline.
The vaccine has not yet been approved for children under 16, although Israel has vaccinated dozens who suffer from specific COVID-19 risk factors. No serious side effects were reported.
The decisions come amid a steady decline in diseases, especially among high-risk groups, which is mainly attributed to Israel’s rapid vaccination campaign.
