Israel’s Coronavirus Cabinet will convene Tuesday to rule on a number of new restrictions being proposed by the Health Ministry aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus.
Following a spate of outbreaks of the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Health Ministry officials are currently drawing up a list of recommendations for policy changes, including several new restrictions on public activity, along with other changes aimed at increasing enforcement of existing rules.
One restriction expected to be pushed by the Health Ministry when the Coronavirus Cabinet convenes Tuesday is a return to the ‘green pass’ system, in which access to some venues is limited to people with vaccination cards, proof of recovery from COVID, or recent negative COVID tests.
Several officials from the Coronavirus Cabinet told Channel 12 Sunday evening that the ‘green pass’ system’s return is almost certain, though they added that it could be less comprehensive than the previous green pass system, applying to fewer venues and allowing more flexibility with the use of instant testing.
“It is just a matter of days,” one official said, regarding the reimposition of the green pass system.
A scaled-down green pass system could be limited to retirement homes, shows, and cultural events, with rapid testing available to maximize the number of non-vaccinated attendees.
Other measures under consideration are a possible massive law enforcement operation aimed at cracking down on non-compliance with the recently reimposed mask mandate in indoor public areas.
The Health Ministry is also considering whether to impose limits on mass gatherings generally, though no details regarding possible restrictions are currently available.
At Tuesday’s Coronavirus Cabinet meeting, cabinet members are expected to deliberate on which metrics will be relied upon in the coming weeks with regard to measuring the efficacy of anti-COVID measures. The debate is expected to hinge on whether the number of seriously ill COVID patients will be the primary indicator, or whether the Health Ministry should resume using the infection coefficient as its primary marker of progress.