JERUSALEM (PA) – Israel lifted many of its coronavirus restrictions and began reopening its economy on Sunday as the country’s vaccination and third nationwide blockade began to reduce infections.
Most high school and high school classes reopened after a nearly two-month closure, along with museums, libraries, malls and markets. Some restrictions on the number of people present remain in force. The entire education system is expected to return to normal operations in early March.
Gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and restaurants are open to people who have received two doses of coronavirus vaccine.
Israel has unveiled plans to allow vaccinated people to attend cultural events, fly abroad and patronize restaurants and health clubs, using a “green badge” app on Saturday before the economy reopens. The launch of the application was full of technical difficulties.
Following an agreement with Pfizer to market dose data, Israel’s vaccination campaign has become the fastest in the world in two months. Nearly half of its 9.3 million population received the first dose of Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. Almost 3 million got the second hit.
Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip from its highly successful vaccination campaign. The dispute highlights Palestinians’ dependence on Israel, even as they fight alone to fight the pandemic. Last week, Israel facilitated the transfer of the first 2,000 doses of Russian Sputnik V vaccine from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.
However, the coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Israel, and restrictions on movement and assembly have remained in place since the government imposed the blockade nationwide in late December.
Israel has recorded at least 743,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 5,521 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Its three deadlocks paralyzed the economy and led to unemployment at over 20%