A notice on social media has exposed a loophole in the Health Ministry's system for issuing Green Passes, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
According to the report, the loophole allows people who have never been vaccinated against COVID-19, and who have also not recovered from it, to issue themselves Green Passes through the Health Ministry's automated system.
The message, shared Tuesday on social media, detailed all of the steps necessary to receive a Green Pass, and it is estimated that thousands of Israelis took advantage of the opportunity.
The loophole was created following a decision by Israel's Health Ministry to allow tourists who had recovered from COVID-19 or been immunized abroad to receive a Green Pass valid for a period of one month, until their records are put into their health fund's computer system.
However, the opportunity was abused by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who claimed to have recovered from COVID-19 while abroad and were required only to have a valid passport in order to prove their claim and receive the Green Pass. The Health Ministry quickly closed the loophole, emphasizing that possession of an illegal or forged Green Pass is a criminal offense.
Now, those who were vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from it while abroad will need to first inform their health funds of their status, prior to receiving a Green Pass. Those who are not Israeli citizens will be able to inform the Health Ministry of their status directly, via the Kol Habriut hotline.