Israel has reopened universities, restaurants and bars for its successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign

Israel took the most important step in its de-escalation this Sunday, with the reopening of cafes, bars and restaurants, easing restrictions and returning to classrooms in universities, among other measures, that prioritize those who are immune to the coronavirus.

With almost 60% of your population vaccinated with at least the first dose of the vaccine, restaurants will be able to receive customers who present the so-called “green pass”, given to those who have recovered from COVID-19 or received the second dose at least a week ago.

Occupancy cannot exceed 75% and Those who do not present the required certificate to enter will be able to sit at outdoor tables.

From today they can also open the cultural event venues, which cannot exceed 50% of their capacity and those which Only those with the green pass and a limited percentage of people with negative coronavirus tests can enter.

In addition to university students, students aged 11 to 14 who attend schools in cities across the country rated green or yellow will also be able to return to class based on their low infection and vaccination rates, while students in institutions nuns be able to return to class as long as they have the green pass.

The places of worship They can also receive devotees who present this certificate, although in limited quantities. Those who agree to receive people who do not wear the green pass will have stricter limits and will not be able to accommodate more than 20 people indoors and 50 outdoors.

The stadiums and auditoriums will be able to accommodate a large number of people, with limits of between 500 and 1,500 people depending on their capacity and whether they are open or closed.

Finally, The new regulations also extend to the entry and exit of passengers via Ben-Gurion International Airport., which has been operating on a very limited basis since the end of January and will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 Israeli citizens per day from today, a figure that would rise to 3,000 in the days to come.

In this way, Israel is almost completely removing the restrictions implemented in the third lockdown, which lasted six weeks from the end of December and has slowly eased since mid-February.

The country’s rapid vaccination campaign, with nearly five million people vaccinated with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and nearly four million also with the second, has been fundamental in advancing the de-escalation.

According to figures updated on Sunday, 40% of the population has already received both vaccinations. Among citizens over 50 years of age, 90% received at least one dose, and the segment with the most inoculations is those aged 70 to 79.

The measures, approved by the government on Saturday evening, were eagerly awaited by the Israelis since the country’s gradual exit from its third lockdown in mid-February, made possible by a massive vaccination campaign.

“Open” or “Back to normal, with caution” headlined the major national newspapers.

“It’s a beautiful day, we open the restaurants with the green passport, we come back to lifePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, sitting on a sunny terrace in a Jerusalem café alongside the mayor of the holy city, Moshe Leon.

On Saturday, Israelis were still supposed to have their coffee to go, but from Sunday they can sit on the terrace.

In recent weeks, Israel, with just over nine million inhabitants, has seen a marked decrease in the number of infections and critically ill patients, and currently has just over 40,000 cases still active, out of a total of 800,000 identified since the start of the pandemic.

(With information from EFE and AFP)

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