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TONext Sunday, exactly at 7 am, the “new normal” will begin in Israel. That is what the government decided. Then the long-awaited return to everyday life will begin. The country of nine million people now shows how this might look in the rest of the world.
It is already clear that there will be a “two-class society” in the future. Fully vaccinated people will regain their basic rights, while non-vaccinated residents will have their rights restricted. To what extent is still being discussed in Israel.
Two phases are planned in which it will end what is now the third closure. The first already provides for a powerful relaxation. In Israel, the week starts on Sunday. Stores, markets, malls, museums, libraries and places of worship will reopen. Also, gyms, swimming pools and hotels. Cultural and sporting events, including trade fairs, should be allowed to take place again. However, only for residents who can show the so-called green passport.
Entrance ticket: green pass
Anyone who received the two doses of the vaccine 21 days apart can request it. Anyone who wants to enter a hotel, theater or pool in the future, must show their mobile phone and green passport in the application of the Ministry of Health. Or a certificate with a barcode that can be downloaded and printed.
Children should also be able to go back to their schools on Sunday. For now the fifth and sixth, as well as the eleventh and twelfth grade. In the second phase, which will begin on March 7, the rest of the students will join them. But only in cities that have a low number of infections or where at least 70 percent of the population is vaccinated. Restaurants and cafes, as well as other leisure facilities, should reopen.
Without a green pass you can only meet in cafes and small restaurants. All other recreational facilities remain closed to those who have not been vaccinated. And a longer-awaited leisure activity will be reserved for those with a green passport: traveling.
Israel is already trying to reach bilateral agreements with countries that use instruments similar to a passport for vaccinated people. There are already agreements with Greece and Cyprus to mutually recognize the respective “vaccination passports”. Porters can travel without quarantine to countries with which such agreements have been concluded. According to the Foreign Ministry, Israel is also in talks with the Seychelles, Great Britain, Estonia, Romania and Serbia. With countries that vaccinate faster than Germany.
Entry only for vaccinated people: the first countries conclude agreements
It won’t be long, then it’s Easter holidays. But can we go on vacation? And the summer holidays? Some countries want to introduce a vaccination certificate so that vaccinated people can travel freely.
Source: WELT / Isabell Finzel
The country has clearly rejected the advertising campaigns of German travel providers who are already promoting “vaccination trips” to Israel: “Due to numerous inquiries … we, as representatives of the Ministry of Tourism of the State of Israel, would like to emphasize that there are no opportunities for tourists in Israel to be there to be vaccinated. There are no vaccination prices offered, “explains Ella Zack Solomon, director of the State of Israel Transport Office for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
For the foreseeable future, vacations at the Dead Sea, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv beach will only be possible for citizens of rapid vaccination countries who have signed a corresponding agreement with Israel.
And Israel wants to make sure that unvaccinated people don’t get access to the new privileges: It has ensured that the green passport is tamper-proof, according to the Corona task force. Anyone who tries to access restricted areas or events will be severely punished.
There is already anger against the new regulations. In Tel Aviv, a few hundred people gathered in Habima Square on Monday night to demonstrate against the new passport. “My body is mine” or “No one should be vaccinated against their will” was the message on the posters of the participants.
How much coercion the country can and should use is the number one topic of discussion. Because the extremely fast and effective vaccination campaign has recently slowed down. If you vaccinated about 200,000 people a day during the first weeks, now it is half.
Source: WORLD infographic
Almost four million Israelis have already received a vaccine, 2.6 million have both syringes. The government’s goal is to immunize at least five million of the nine million residents. Israel is a young country, around 2.5 million people are under the age of 16 and therefore cannot be vaccinated.
Skepticism about vaccines, especially among children.
Children in particular are skeptical about vaccines, although initial studies in Israel confirm that the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine is 94 percent effective with moderate side effects. The age group 60 and older who have been most at risk to date now only accounts for less than 10 percent of new infections reported daily.
90 percent in this age group have already been vaccinated or have had corona disease. The future risk group in Israel are children who cannot be vaccinated and who become ill more often from new mutations than from the first corona wave.
According to the Ministry of Health, there is a certain reluctance to be observed among those under 50 years of age and teachers regarding the willingness to be vaccinated. Health Minister Juli Edelstein made it clear in a tweet: “A teacher who is not vaccinated endangers the welfare of his students and does not fulfill his responsibilities.” be vaccinated.
Alternatively, they could submit a corona test every 48 hours, which they would have to pay for themselves. Free trials should be reserved for children under 16 years of age and high-risk patients who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons. Holders of a green pass should be able to attend events with their children if they can show a negative corona test.
The government’s plan of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give local administrations the names of residents who refuse to be vaccinated is also causing discussion. The Ministry of Education also requires the names of teachers and students who have not yet been vaccinated. It is not yet clear whether this information is actually transmitted and for what purpose it should be retrieved. Critics warn that local authorities could use them to pressure “disobedient” citizens and their families.
Israeli experts advise against the use of pressure, even if it were legally possible in the state of emergency of the pandemic. For the moment, the authorities are testing “positive incentives”, with different means depending on the population group. In the ultra-Orthodox Jewish village of Bnei Brak, for example, the idea arose to attract pious skeptics of vaccines with free cholent. The bean and meat stew, which should simmer for days, is a popular Shabbat dish. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, relies on pizza and coffee, or free hummus in the Arab district of Jaffa.
