Israel’s coronavirus vaccination ‘green pass’ opens fast track to normal life
- People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can attend cultural events and go to health clubs and restaurants
- Nearly three million Israelis have received the two recommended doses of the Pfizer shot
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With a steady flow of data proving the Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy in stopping serious illness from Covid-19, Israel’s government has begin gradually easing restrictions.
Shopping malls and stores with street access reopened on Sunday, with certain limitations on crowd size.
Studies find Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine significantly reduces transmission
But gyms, swimming pools, hotels and some cultural facilities are reopening only to those who have been fully vaccinated and obtained the so-called green pass.
Israel’s green pass scheme is being closely-watched as a possible model for how other economies might reopen once a substantial part of the population is vaccinated, while stirring controversy over unequal access for those who opt out of the jab.
Lifting weights at gym in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv late Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel was moving ahead “with caution,” while imploring “everyone to get vaccinated.”
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Standing at the entrance of a posh Tel Aviv gym, 90-year-old Ora Davidovicz said she “couldn’t wait” to go swimming.
“It’s been almost a year since I went to the pool,” she told said. “I’ve been counting the days.”
“All I have to do is put on my swim suit,” she said, before heading in.
As of Sunday, nearly 3.2 million Israelis are eligible for the green pass, according to the health ministry.
That includes 2.5 million people who had their second shot more than a week ago as well as nearly 700,000 people who have recovered from Covid-19.
At the family-owned Katalina shoe store in central Tel Aviv, Mordechai Nazarian said his business had been closed for eight of the last 12 months, with “little openings here and there” as Israel lifted restrictions between lockdowns.
“We hope this one is the right one,” he said.
Israel, which has one of the world’s most sophisticated medical data systems, secured a substantial stock of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by paying above market price and by striking a data-sharing deal with the drug giant.
Netanyahu is hoping that the successful vaccine procurement and roll-out will boost his support ahead of March 23 elections, Israel’s fourth vote in less than two years.
