Israel reopened its economy today including shopping and leisure centres, with the government saying the return to routine was enabled by COVID-19 vaccines administered to almost half the population.
To visit theatres and other venues, people must carry a vaccine passport, issued to those who have had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine more than a week prior or recovered from Covid-19 with presumed immunity.
“We are the first country in the world that is reviving itself thanks to the millions of vaccines we brought in,” PM Benjamin Netanyahu said. “Vaccinated? Get the Green Pass and get back to life.”
Social-distancing measures, however, are still in force, with dancing prohibited at banquet halls and synagogues, mosques and churches required to halve their usual number of worshippers.
Photo: Flashdance - Tel Aviv Theater, 2019. Credit: Or Danon.