The infection rate is going down in Israel and the country is beginning to gradually open up. On Sunday, Israelis will also be able to return to stores, malls, markets, museums and libraries which will start operating again under the Health Ministry’s Purple Ribbon standards, which limits participation and continues to require masks and social distancing.
At the same time, gyms, swimming pools, hotels, cultural and sports events will welcome only green passport’s holders, individuals who are either at least a week after the second coronavirus vaccine or who have recovered from the disease.
A green passport can be downloaded through the Health Ministry’s special traffic-light website, accessed through the Apple or Google Play stores or can be emailed or mailed to its owner by calling *5400.The Health Ministry said that due to high demand there could be some technical difficulties accessing these passports. In the interim, a vaccination certificate provided by one's health fund can be used instead.
Last week, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein warned last week that people who try to forge a green passport will face criminal charges and may even be jailed.
“Anyone who thinks it is a child’s game and will print a certificate even though he has not been vaccinated will eventually be caught and this activity could also end with a jail term,” Edelstein said.
Over the weekend, the coronavirus cabinet also approved designating the Dead Sea resort area as a “green island” again. The move allows the hotels to re-open in full for both people who are vaccinated and those who can present a negative coronavirus test result from within the last 24 hours. The hotels will also accept people who can show they have had coronavirus and recovered.
The green island designation is specific to hotels in the Ein Bokek and Hamei Zohar areas. Reservations are required in advance.
In contrast, late Thursday night, the government voted to extend the closure on Israel’s airport for another two weeks, until March 6. Up to 2,000 people can enter the country each day with special permission from the government’s exemption committee.
The next stage of Israel’s exit strategy is supposed to begin in two weeks, so long as the country’s infection rate continues to decline and more people get vaccinated.
“I'm glad we're coming back to life, gradually,” Edelstein said Saturday night. “Caution is demanded and it requires us to resume activities in several steps.”
On Friday, the government approved the coronavirus cabinet’s plans. The Prime Minister’s Office and the Health Ministry provided the details of the plan, including a list of fines to which establishments will be subjected if they break the rules.
Here is what life will look like in Israel on Sunday, February 21:
Education System:
* Fifth and sixth grades and 11th and 12th grades in green and yellow zones, and in places classified as “light orange” with a grade of no more than seven according to the traffic-light model and at least 70% of people over the age 50 vaccinated - open
* Classrooms for new immigrants who need to learn Hebrew - open
* Post-high school technology programs in accordance with regulations from the Education and Health ministries, including those for youth-at-risk - open
* Groups of up to 20 students - allowed to study in an open area, regardless of traffic-light score
* Activities of members of youth groups and organizations - allowed to occur in an open space, also up to 20 children
* Extracurricular activities provided by outside providers - can resume in preschools
* Day trips within the educational framework - permitted
* Boarding schools, such as seminaries, can operate as they did before the lockdown, in groups of up to 19 students with staff and service providers allowed to enter, exit without restriction
Places that will operate without requiring a green passport:
1 - Mall and marketplaces
* One person per 15 square meters; operators must install a digital counter to ensure not too many people enter the mall
* Two to five “coronavirus trustees” must wander the mall and ensure regulations are being adhered to
* Malls must work to prevent crowds in central areas or at the entrance to stores
* Eating will be forbidden in the mall, there will be no tables and chairs for eating in the mall area, access to tables that are attached to the floor will be prevented; owner will hang signs cautioning people not to eat
* Food stalls - forbidden
* Entrances, exits will be separated to the extent that is possible
* Efforts will be made to air out the mall at least three times per hour
2 - Street shops
* Up to one person per seven square meters.
3 - Places used for training professional athletes, according to Purple Ribbon standards
4 - Libraries
5 - Museums
* Visitors must book in advance
* Guided tours - up to 10 people
* Museum routes mapped so as not too allow too much overlap between visitors
* Coronavirus monitor will circle the premises and ensure there is no crowding and that all other Health Ministry guidelines are being followed
6 - Zoos, safaris and tourist attractions in open areas, one person for every 15 square meters
Places opening but requiring a green passport:
1 - Gyms
* Devices should be spaced at least two meters apart
* Customers must inform the gym of when they are coming in advance
* Sauna, jacuzzi - closed
* Strict disinfection rules
2 - Culture and sports
* Up to 75% of the maximum capacity, but no more than 300 people inside and 500 outside
* Sitting during events only - no dancing or eating
* Seating will be spaced and marked
* In order settings, chairs should be placed two meters apart and divided into capsules of 20 people, divided by physical markers or barriers
* Distance between audience and stage - no less than four meters
* Masks - required during the whole event
* Food - forbidden, though personal drinking bottles will be allowed
* Complex must include at least two entrances
* Entry and exit will be conducted gradually
* Regular disinfection - required
* One usher per 50 attendees to remind people to follow the rules, signage must also be prominent
3 - Pools and mikvahs [ritual baths] for men
* One person per seven square meters outside the water and one to six inside
* Requirements for regular disinfection
* Food - forbidden
* Saunas or jacuzzis - closed
4 - Hotels
* Rooms only, open to anyone who is vaccinated or recovered from coronavirus and children under 16 with a negative coronavirus test result taken within 48 hours of arrival
* Dining rooms closed
5 - Synagogues
* Only those registered by the local authorities as following the green passport program
* Up to 50% capacity if there are fixed seats, otherwise one person per seven square meters - no more than 300 maximum
* A green passport certificate will be hung at the entrance to the synagogue
* Food - prohibited
* Social distancing of at least two meters between prayer goers required and at least one chair between people who do not live together
* Regular disinfection
Fines:
* Operating a place in violation of government regulations - up to NIS 10,000
* Allowing a person who is not vaccinated to enter a green-passport establishment - NIS 1,000
* Failing to hang a green passport sign - NIS 3,000
* For malls - not placing enough monitors - NIS 5,000
* For malls - placing dining tables or not preventing access to them - NIS 5,000
* For malls - allowing food stalls to operate - NIS 2,500
* Failing to place a sign reminding visitors they cannot eat on premise - NIS 5,000