Knesset plenum
Knesset plenumOlivier Fitoussi/Flash90

The Knesset on Wednesday approved a bill allowing the Health Ministry to transfer information on unvaccinated individuals to local authorities, the Education Ministry's Director General, and welfare authorities.

The bill, which passed its first reading on Monday afternoon, passed its second and third readings on Wednesday, and is now law.

The purpose of the bill is to allow local authorities to encourage residents to receive the vaccine, by turning to them personally and taking other actions which Health Minister Director General Professor Hezi Levi will define.

Under the bill, the Health Ministry may share the names, identification numbers, addresses, and phone numbers of citizens eligible to receive the vaccine who have not yet done so.

In addition, the information will be transferred to the authorities if they actively request it and present a plan for encouraging vaccination among the population included in the database.

However, the bill emphasizes that personal information may not be used to pressure citizens into receiving the vaccination.