Children under the age of 16 who are not vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 will be able to enter venues and events that function under the green pass outline with a negative PCR test performed within 72 hours starting from May 6, the government approved Tuesday.
Children will be able to undergo a PCR test through their healthcare provider for free, a Health Ministry’s spokesperson explained to The Jerusalem Post.
PCR tests check the presence of viral RNA in the body and are the most common type of tests to detect whether an individual has a positive result to the presence of the novel coronavirus. The healthcare providers administer them for free to their members and they usually provide the results within 24 hours.
When the green pass outline was launched, health officials emphasized that they did not want Israel’s testing system to collapse under a possible high demand for tests by people who were not vaccinated so that they could gain entrance green pass venues.
Later, the authorities allowed the use of rapid antigen tests to enter specific events and venues. Antigen tests check the presence of viral proteins. Currently, a venue can order a certain amount of rapid tests from accredited private companies to open a testing station at the entrance of a specific event. Those who test negative can enter, those who test positive are required to go into isolation and undergo a PCR test to confirm the results.
However, each rapid test costs several dozens of new shekels. The requirement might be prohibitive for families to go to places of entertainment, such as movie theaters, sports events and more. in addition to the cost of entrance tickets, families must also take into account the additional expense of NIS 50-70 for each child or unvaccinated member in order to comply with the green pass rules.Many could be discouraged from such outings.
At the peak of the pandemic in January, Israel was able to process over 120,000 tests per day on weekdays. In the past two weeks, the highest number of tests performed in a day was 55,000. It appears the system has the resources to allow its citizens to get tested in order to take part in leisure activities.
Also on Tuesday, the government canceled the limitation on occupancy on public transportation starting from Thursday.
Tuesday marked the third day in a row that Israel registered less than 100 coronavirus cases per day for the first time since May. The number of active cases dropped to 1,700. At the peak of the pandemic, they were over 75,000.