As Coronavirus Disappears, Israel Nixes ‘Green Pass’ System, Allows Unvaccinated into Public Venues

Israelis sit at a coffee shop in Tel Aviv on May 27, 2020 as restaurants were allowed to o
JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty
Deborah Brand

Israel on Tuesday dropped its Green Pass system restricting entrance to public venues to those who are vaccinated or have recovered from coronavirus. In doing so, it opened venues to the general public only three months after launching a world-leading vaccination drive.

Capacity limits were lifted for all indoor and outdoor gatherings as cases dropped to less than 20 per day.

The only restrictions remaining is wearing masks indoors, which is currently under discussions to be lifted as well, and quarantine requirements for those entering the country without proof of vaccination.

While Israel fared along with some of the worst countries in the world when it came to contagion — surpassing even the U.S., the country led the world by a large margin with its vaccination campaign.

It suffered heavy losses from the pandemic, with 850,000 cases and 6,412 deaths – a very high ratio for the a country of 9 million people.

People sit along a beach in Israel’s Mediterranean coastal city of Tel Aviv as venues were allowed to open for the first time in months after the Israeli government approved the easing of measures put in place due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. (PJACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

At the height of the pandemic, there were more than 10,000 new daily cases. Today, 81 percent of Israel’s adult population has been fully vaccinated and the country has achieved herd immunity, experts say.

“From our perspective, June 1, 2021 is a holiday,” Tomer Mor, the head of a restaurant group, told the Ynet news website. “This is the day we have won our battle, with the cancellation of the green [passes]. We’re thrilled to going back to hosting the public, children, adults and families, without conditions.”

Not everyone is confident about the move to scrap the Green Pass program, however.

Israelis sit at a coffee shop in Tel Aviv as restaurants were allowed to open for the first time in months after the Israeli government approved the easing of measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus coronavirus. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Health Ministry Director General Prof. Hezi Levi told Ynet cancelling it is a “risk” he hopes will not “blow up in our faces.”
“We have to remember there are [coronavirus] mutations and variants around the world and in Israel. That’s why we still have to be very careful,” he said, adding that the country was not doing enough to enforce the quarantine restrictions for those coming from overseas.
“The pandemic isn’t over,” he warned.

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