Israel has emerged from the lockdown on Sunday. The 1 kilometer from home limit was abolished, and the activities of workplaces that don’t serve clients directly will be resumed. One-on-one services such as hairdressers and cosmetics are back, pickup from restaurants is back, and rental in vacation B & Bs is permitted for nuclear families only. Nature reserves and public parks will reopen as well, and public transportation all over the country will be increased in lines that are in high demand.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government on Saturday night approved regulations for further restrictions on the education system which will not reopen before Tuesday. However, educational institutions that were excluded from the lockdown may continue to operate.
The government is expected to convene on Sunday to discuss the outline for reopening the education system, according to Saturday night’s agreements: the education system for ages 0 to 6, grades 1-4, and 11-12 will operate as usual in green and yellow cities. In red and orange cities study will be permitted only outdoors.
According to Israel’s health Ministry, only 2,624 new patients tested positive on Saturday, based on 28,852 test results. This figure is much lower than the results published on weekdays, but the percentage of verified infections is still very high: roughly 9%.
As of Sunday morning there are 1,110 serious patients in Israel, when the models presented before the start of the lockdown predicted that by now there will be only 100 Corona patients in serious condition. Out of those serious patients, 302 are on respirators.
A total of 5,074 Corona patients have died in Israel since the outbreak of the pandemic about a year ago.
Meanwhile, 3,426,415 Israelis have received the first dose of the vaccine, 2,015,108 of the second.
This is the complete list of reduced restrictions:
Traffic and congregating:
- The distance limit of up to one kilometer from the house is eliminated
- A gathering of more than 10 people in an open area and more than five people in a closed place is prohibited
- Funerals, weddings and brit milahs can be held with relatives only, in a private home or in a public area with Only up to 10 people indoors and up to 20 in an open space
- Car travel is limited to three people (except for people living together), and an additional passenger in each additional rear bench
- Nature reserves and parks will be open and public transportation throughout the country will be increased in lines that are in high demand.
Work:
- Workplaces that do not receive clients are allowed to operate (as are essential services that do receive clients such as supermarkets)
- One-on-one services such as hairdressers and cosmetics are allowed
- Pickups from restaurants are allowed
- It is permitted to rent guest rooms and B & Bs to nuclear families only
- It is forbidden to open businesses and places that serve crowds, including malls, street shops, markets, and restaurants (except for deliveries and pickups)
Education:
- Kindergartens and schools are not allowed to open at least until Tuesday
- Employees are allowed to travel to educational institutions
- Boarding school students are allowed to travel back if they have stayed in a different residence
- Educational institutions that were and continue to be exempted from the lockdown: boarding schools, rehabilitative daycare centers, institutions for children and youth at risk, special education institutions, educational services in hospitals, educational psychological services, and educational services for children age 12 and below of essential workers.
The government is expected to convene at 5 PM Sunday to discuss the reopening outline for the entire education system.
Passengers returning from abroad:
- Israelis who went abroad before January 25 will be able to return to Israel without the approval of the Exceptions Committee, provided they pass a Corona test at least 72 hours before landing
- Returning will be on one of the government-provided rescue flights to Israel
- It is not allowed to stay in home quarantines, everyone entering Israel from anywhere abroad must go to a quarantine a motel
The Ministerial Corona Committee on Saturday night approved an amendment to the Health Ministry’s aviation regulations restricting the operation of aircraft. According to the amendment, during the period of the entry and exit regulations (until February 20, 2001), a person will not operate an aircraft carrying passengers to or from Israel:
- All passengers are allowed to fly according to the regulations for entry and exit from Israel.
- The flight is for a medical emergency evacuation or received approval from the Directors General of the Ministries of Transportation, Foreign Affairs, Defense, or Health or their representatives, in a manner that allows the return of passengers in keeping with public health considerations.
Testing is obligatory for passengers leaving Israel as well.