Israel’s government is tightening the corona regulations. On Sunday, millions of Israelis lose their green passport, which gives them access to restaurants, sports facilities, cultural institutions and universities.
Originally, the Covid Pass was issued to everyone who received the second vaccination by the end of 2021. This ticket for public life in Israel will now expire on October 3rd. You can only get a new Green Passport if you have been vaccinated three times or have had the second vaccination within the last six months. Or you can be tested. Children under three years of age are excluded.
Currently in Israel around 35 percent of the Israeli population have been vaccinated three times, and 60 percent have received the second vaccination. An estimated one million of the approximately 9.4 million Israelis could lose their Green Passports as of Sunday, including many teachers. For them, the following applies: Without this admission ticket, there is no access to schools and, recently, no payment.
The vaccination protection decreases
Nadav Davidovitch, Corona advisor to the government, justifies the reform. Current data would show that vaccination protection is decreasing and that a booster vaccination is therefore necessary. The protection against vaccination dwindles particularly in the elderly. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett hopes that the new regulation will increase the pressure to vaccinate, because he absolutely wants to avoid a lockdown – even if he is heavily criticized for it. Israel has been one of the countries with the highest number of new infections in the world in recent months, with seven-day incidences of over 700. Meanwhile, the spread of the delta variant is slowing down, and the number of difficult slopes is also falling.
