Some 150,000 Israelis visited nature reserves and national parks around the country on Saturday and 1,300 hikers spent the night in Israel's campgrounds as coronavirus lockdown restrictions ended, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA).
Many hikers were brought out by the south's iconic red anemone flowers that turn the south red every year. The "Darom Adom" (red south) events, centered around the blooming of the flowers, bring thousands to Israel's parks and nature reserves every year.
"We worked to make the vaccines accessible to the many visitors to nature as part of the Darom Adom events," said MDA Director-General Eli Bin. "This allowed the public to get vaccinated while enjoying wonderful weather and spectacular blooms. I call on the public to continue getting vaccinated whenever and wherever possible.
"MDA will continue to be at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus as part of the national vaccination campaign and in the hope that we will soon be able to return to a full routine," Bin went on to say.