The goal is to keep Israel open, but if necessary the government will be ready to impose more severe restrictions, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday, a day after the coronavirus cabinet approved several new measures to contain the outbreak, and as the country registered some 3,290 new cases, marking a slight decrease from the previous day.
“Our goal is to keep Israel open but not to reach a situation where the hospitals, God forbid, will have to say, ‘we have no more room,’” Bennett said while visiting a vaccination center in Jerusalem. “This cannot happen in the State of Israel. Our goal is not to get to it, and we know when to hit the brakes.”
“In order not to instigate more stringent restrictions, we need to get vaccinated, wear masks and keep distance,” he added. “It is in our hands.”
On Tuesday night, the cabinet took the first steps in the direction of stricter restrictions.
Starting August 8, the full green pass system will be put back in place (from August 20, also for children under 12 – who are currently exempt), masks will be mandatory at all outdoor gatherings and a vaccinated or recovered parent caring for a sick child in quarantine under the age of 12 will have to isolate as well.
In addition, only 50% of government office workers will work in the office, and the private sector will be encouraged to do the same.
Moreover, more stringent criteria to place countries under travel ban or travel warning will be formulated, leaving a very limited group of nations to be visited freely by Israelis without the need to quarantine upon their return regardless of their immunization status.
The new criteria and the new list are expected to be published on Sunday and to come into effect in the following days.
The cabinet also appealed to the general public to become more careful in observing social distancing precautions, and to the elderly to avoid large gatherings and meeting unvaccinated people indoors.
On Tuesday, the 3,290 new cases represented 3.34% of the 99,000 tests processed. Both numbers marked a slight decrease compared to the previous day, when the country identified over 3,800 virus carriers and the positive rate stood at 3.8%.
On weekdays last week, Israel had some 2,100-2,200 new cases per day, with a 2.3-2.5% positive rate.
The number of serious patients as of Wednesday stood at 234, 51 of whom were on ventilators. On Tuesday there were 221 and 46.
In the meantime, Israel is continuing with the campaign to vaccinate people over 60 with a third shot. Some 206,000 people out of a population of almost 1.6 million had already received the booster.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz also accompanied his parents to get vaccinated on Wednesday, as he urged all Israelis eligible for a shot to get one.
“I say clearly, our goal is to avoid a lockdown,” he said, stressing that if everyone show personal responsibility Israel can still avoid such a decision. “It is a dramatic move with dire consequences. This is not in the hands of fate. A lockdown is the last resort.”
Earlier in the day, Horowitz met with President Isaac Herzog together with the ministry’s director-general Nachman Ash, head of Public Health Services Prof. Sharon Alroy-Preis and new coronavirus commissioner Prof. Salman Zarka.
"Every Israeli contemplating the vaccination should not just think of protecting his family, but also protecting Israelis who cannot get vaccinated," Herzog said. "The Israeli solidarity will overcome this outbreak."
Also on Wednesday, Maccabi Health Services, one of Israel’s healthcare providers, released new data about the vaccine efficacy against the Delta variant for the cohort ages 12-15.
With some 35,000 such children vaccinated and at least one week after the second dose, the vaccine proved to be 95% effective against infection.
Also those who contracted the virus only show mild symptoms, if any.
Tal Spungin contributed to this report.