JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel lifted many of its restrictions on the coronavirus and began reopening its economy on Sunday, when the country’s vaccination campaign and the third national blockade began to reduce infections.
Most of the elementary and high school classes reopened after closing for almost two months, along with museums, libraries, shopping malls and markets. Some restrictions on the number of people present remain in effect. The entire education system is expected to return to normal operations in early March.
Gyms, swimming pools, cinemas and restaurants are opening up space for people who have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
Israel unveiled its plan to allow vaccinees to participate in cultural events, travel abroad and attend restaurants and health clubs using a “green badge” app on Saturday, before the economy reopened. The launch of the application is fraught with technical difficulties.
After making a deal with Pfizer to exchange data for doses, Israel’s vaccine campaign has become the fastest in the world in the past two months. Almost half of its 9.3 million population received the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. Almost 3 million got the second chance.
Israel has faced international criticism for largely excluding Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip from its highly successful vaccination campaign. The dispute highlights Palestinians’ confidence in Israel, even as they struggle to fight the pandemic on their own. Last week, Israel facilitated the transfer of the first 2,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.
The coronavirus is still spreading rapidly in Israel, however, and restrictions on movement and assembly have remained in effect since the government imposed a nationwide blockade in late December.
Israel has recorded at least 743,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 5,521 deaths since the pandemic began last year. Its three blocks paralyzed the economy and brought unemployment to over 20%