As the number of active and new Coronavirus cases in Israel continues to plummet, due to the country’s continuing vaccine drive, the Coronavirus Cabinet ratified the easing of regulations for the fourth cycle, as part of the national exit strategy from the recent lockdown that lasted more than two months.

The reduced restrictions will take effect on Sunday, March 21st, and continue for two weeks, including Pesach, until April 3rd.

They include:

1: Green tag businesses will be able to allow people who are not vaccinated nor recovering to enter their premises with a Coronavirus “fast-test”. These people will not be included in the 5% of the capacity of a Hotel or event hall that is slotted for young children who cannot be vaccinated and have a negative Covid test to prove that they do not have the virus.

2: Pool, tourist attractions, and festivals, that are outdoors will be allowed to open.

3: Festivals that take place in sports arenas will be allowed to go forward by abiding by the green tag principles. This will allow communal sporting events and leagues to resume.

4: Events or activities that abide by the green tag standard have raised the number of attendees possible to participate.

5: Festival will now be able to take place inside a mall, stalls in the mall can be set up according to instructions per situation, outdoor cultural events can take place without dividing the audience into capsules, and saunas, gyms, and pools can once again re-open without limitation.

Shuls will operate under the green tag guideline and will be allowed to admit attendees who use the Coronavirus “fast test”. Shuls with a maximum capacity of fewer than 5,000 will be allowed to have up to 50% capacity or a maximum of 1,000 people. Open-air shuls will be able to have up to 3,000 people join.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)