JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel has rolled back its “Green Pass” policy, citing the Omicron variant’s ability to infect both the vaccinated and unvaccinated at similar rates.
The Green Pass was launched in February 2021 to reopen Israel’s economy and keep infection rates low. It allowed citizens to enter many indoor venues and large gatherings if they are vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the virus in the last six months, or tested negative in the last 72 hours.
Now, Israelis no longer have to present the Green Pass at restaurants, movie theaters, gyms, and other indoor venues. However, they’ll still have to flash the Green Pass at indoor locations where the risk of infection is high, like clubs and event halls.
“Because Omicron also infects the vaccinated, the [Green] Pass has lost effectiveness in most places and we decided to reduce its use to only high-risk places. It is part of the trend of living with the virus,” Health Ministry Director General Nachman Ash told Army Radio.
The new Green Pass rules will remain in place until March 1.
Israel’s number of new COVID cases has dropped sharply, but hospitals are seeing an increase in COVID hospitalizations, mostly among unvaccinated individuals age 60 and up. In total, more than 2,800 people are hospitalized in Israel, of whom over 370 are in critical condition.
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