DEBKAfile
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Coronavirus Director Prof. Nahman Ash responded furiously to the High Court ruling of Wednesday that prohibited the state from banning or reducing to 3,000 the number of returning Israelis entering through Ben Gurion airport. The High Court, he said, was making itself responsible for the danger of a fresh surge of virus infection. He was echoed by Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kish, who added that the judges would be responsible if new covid-19 virus variants from abroad caused widespread infection at a time that the pandemic was coming under control. He emphasized that although the vaccines were 99pc successful, one third of the population, children under 16. were still not inoculated and therefore vulnerable.
DEBKAfile
The vaccination is amazingly effective, Israel’s health experts find, as nearly 5 million received their first anti-covid-19 jabs by Monday, March 7, and more than 3,5 million their second. The Health Ministry reported that in the past six weeks, infection among two-shot vaccination cases had dropped to less than 1pc, and their symptoms were mild enough to avoid hospital care. “This amazing success is not just visible in clinical trials, but in the real world,” said Prof. Gala Rahav, head of infectious disease at the Sheba Medical Center.
Nevertheless, some trepidation accompanied the third stage of Israel’s “return to normal” on Sunday, albeit under health restrictions, lest it trigger a fresh surge. Coronavirus director Prof. Nahman Ash warned that a fourth lockdown could not yet be ruled out – even possibly in time to cast a pall over the March 23 election and the Passover festival five days later. It is up to every individua, he said, to take responsibil
People walk on Jaffa Street, in downtown Jerusalem on March 1, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Despite a slight rise in coronavirus infections, ministers on Monday backed sticking to the plan to gradually reopen Israel’s economy, which will see restaurants and hotels open their doors to the vaccinated next week, and reportedly moved to reopen Ben Gurion Airport to Israeli travelers.
The next stage of the government’s reopening plan, scheduled for around March 7, includes allowing students in grades 7-10 to return to school in low-infection areas, reopening restaurants and cafes, permitting hotels and event venues to open in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines, and easing limitations on gatherings.
DEBKAfile
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The coronavirus director, Prof. Nahman Ash, is not looking for a dramatic downturn in infection figures before starting to ease up on the lockdown, he said in a radio interview on Thursday. As the ministers wrangled over the extension of the countrywide closures into next week, infection figures scarcely moved. Another 7,665 new cases and 9,2pc positive tests were registered on Wednesday. There was a slight decrease in serious cases to 1,132 with 306 on ventilators, but the death toll rise to 4,609 in all. The massive vaccination program continues apace, with people aged 35 plus added to the roster of eligible recipients, More than 2,85 million Israelis have received their first shots and 1,4 million both doses.