Israel lifts almost all COVID-19 restrictions; recorded only 4 cases on Sunday

Following a sharp drop in new Covid-19 infections and severe illnesses, Israel is almost completely lifting government restrictions imposed to halt the spread of the virus, the Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday.

According to the announcement, regulations under the so-called Green Passport will expire the same day, which means that in future public institutions will be open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, reports dpa news agency.

The presentation of a vaccination certificate as a pre-requisite for admission will no longer be required. In connection with this measure, all attendance and visitor limits for events, shops and restaurants, for example, will be abolished.

However, the obligation to wear a mask indoors will remain in place for the time being. Certain obligations also continue to apply when entering Israel. The country of nine million inhabitants has been successfully implementing a vaccination campaign since December 19, 2020. New infections and severe illnesses have fallen sharply in recent months.

On Sunday, the number of new infections with the coronavirus fell to its lowest level in more than a year. Only four cases were registered. Fewer new infections were last registered at the beginning of March 2020, at the start of the global pandemic. In parallel with the progress of the vaccination campaign, the government began to gradually relax the coronavirus restrictions.