As Israel’s number of daily COVID cases and seriously ill patients continue to drop, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with senior health officials on Thursday morning to discuss lifting almost all COVID restrictions by March 1.

Bennett said at the meeting that the Green Pass system that required Israelis to present proof of vaccination to enter certain events and restaurants will not be renewed past March 1. The system lost its purpose in the face of the Omicron, which proved resistant to vaccines.

Only the indoor mask mandate is likely to remain, at least for now, as well as the requirement to undergo antigen tests before entering nursing homes.

As the meeting was cut short due to Bennett’s meeting with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, discussions on lifting the remaining COVID regulations will be resumed on Thursday evening.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)