Bnei Brak (illustrative)
Bnei Brak (illustrative)Miriam Alster/Flash90

Reserve Major-General Roni Numa, coronavirus czar for the haredi sector, on Sunday praised the haredi leadership for their efforts to encourage those in their communities to receive the coronavirus vaccination.

"We want to reach 100% - that's our only way, a concentrated 'Operation Vaccine,'" Numa told Kol Hai Radio.

Ahead of the Purim holiday, Numa declared, "This is the test: Either the infection rate will increase or decrease. It's up to us."

He urged the public "to act responsibly, and to go get vaccinated - and that way, Pesach (Passover) will truly be the holiday of freedom."

When asked whether Israel would need a fourth lockdown, Numa said, "We need to be modest - even with our vaccination rates and public cooperation, still, we've passed Shabbat Zakhor (the Sabbath before Purim), and we have Purim, when it's forbidden to hold parties, and we want to reach the seder night (the first night of Passover) in a good situation."

The "Green Badge," he said, "allows protected gatherings, together with, for instance, reading the Scroll of Esther in buildings, and regarding the gifts to friends - try to make it shorter."