Israel announced today that it wants to gradually relax the health pass, even though it was one of the first countries to implement the system to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
From Sunday 7 February, the health pass given to vaccinated people or those who have recovered from coronavirus, will no longer be requested to enter cafes, restaurants, bars, sports halls or hotels,[/B] the health ministry stressed.
The government will publish a full list of places where the health pass will continue to be requested, a health ministry spokesman explained. The relaxation of the measures comes at a time when the Jewish state, which had launched a major vaccination campaign in December 2020 and introduced the health pass from February 2021, is recording record numbers of infections due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Nearly 60,000 new cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the last 24 hours and 2,618 patients were hospitalized, according to health ministry figures. According to epidemiologist Nadav Davinovic, a member of the committee of experts advising the government, maintaining the health pass in its current form could create false health guarantees. The sanitary pass does not reduce infections in enclosed spaces such as theatres.
It should be used primarily for high-risk places such as hospitals, nursing homes or events where you can eat, sing and dance, he added. However, abolishing it would be a mistake, believes Davidovich, who is also director of the School of Public Health at Ben Gurion University, located in the Negev desert in the south.
Health passes will be required for entry to high-risk events such as holidays, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office announced late Tuesday night, stating that PCR molecular tests will no longer be mandatory for travelers departing from Israel.
In addition to Israel, infections are also on the rise in the occupied West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority announced the closure of schools for 10 days starting Thursday.
Source: KYPE
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