JERUSALEM, Israel – Israeli Health officials are considering lifting the nation’s outdoor mask mandate by April as the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths decline, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported Sunday.
The ease of restrictions would allow Israelis to go mask-less in open-air public spaces, but they would still be mandated to wear a mask in indoor areas. The report also said the Health Ministry is considering allowing increased flights to operate from Ben Gurion airport.
The opening of the airport would mean Israelis could travel to countries that accept Israel’s green passport, a document indicating that the individual is fully vaccinated against the virus. These countries include Cyprus, Georgia, and Greece, the report said.
Government officials said last week they are working with the United States and other countries to recognize each other’s vaccination certificates to enable travel without quarantines.
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With the Passover holiday set to begin on March 27, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Sunday Israel’s “vaccination miracle” is the reason why there will likely be no new restrictions.
“We have no reason to believe that there will be a lockdown in Israel during Passover,” he said. “We are seeing very encouraging data. We are experiencing the very miracle that we all dreamed of – the miracle of vaccines. More than five million good people went and got vaccinated and thanks to them, we now find ourselves where we are.”
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