Israel is reopening a large part of its stores in its cam …

With nearly half of the population vaccinated against the coronavirus, Israel has taken a new step towards freedom with the reopening of many of its stores. Launch of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government the use of the so-called “green passport”, which allows access to certain spaces for people vaccinated or those who have already recovered from covid-19. The country peaked at 10,000 cases per day in mid-January, but today it has reduced that number to 4,000.

The premises facing the street, shopping centers, museums and libraries are open to the entire population from this Sunday, Y pupils in the fifth and sixth year of elementary school and the last two years of secondary school will be able to return to class from Monday in cities with low morbidity rates. The youngest, preschool and primary classes, have already done so more than a week ago, while seventh to tenths across the country will continue with virtual lessons for at least two weeks.

While gymnasiums, sporting and cultural events, hotels and swimming pools will be able to accommodate all those who have received the two doses of the vaccine or who have recovered and have the so-called green passport: a digital document that certifies complete vaccination and is issued by the Ministry of Health. “This is the first step to return to an almost normal life”, explained a few days ago the holder of the said portfolio, Yuli Edelstein, during an in-depth press conference.

Dressed in sports clothes and a black sweater, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked to a gym in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv on Saturday night, and called on millions of Israeli passport holders to come. go to places open to vaccinated people. “Anyone with this card can go to gyms, cinemas and soon to restaurants and airplanes,” he said, once again calling on Israelis to be vaccinated and keeping an eye out for them. general elections in March.

The second stage of the nationwide reopening begins just a day after the government announced that An initial study of 1.7 million citizens who received the two doses of the vaccine from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer found that it reduced the possibility of contracting the disease by 95.8% and the risk of contracting it by 98 , 9%..

In a country of just over nine million people, the government has already administered the first dose of the vaccine to more than 4.2 million people, of whom more than 2.8 million have also received the second dose. Israel thus became the country in the world with the highest percentage of its population vaccinated to date., but not It has included in its vaccination campaign the millions of Palestinians who have lived in the territories it has occupied for more than 50 years.

After receiving strong international pressure, he delivered a first batch to the Palestinian government in the West Bank to immunize health workers, and on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said it had agreed to deliver doses to immunize 100,000 people working in Israeli territory.

The Israeli government is seeking to immunize most of the population by the end of March, when the country holds elections. Prime Minister Netanyahu to reach fourth election in two years, involved in landmark corruption trial which has just been taken over and for which he could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.