"There will be no lockdown during Passover," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged in an interview with Channel 13 News, Saturday.
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"Unless a new variant arrives within a few days, we will not impose a lockdown. And when the children ask the question that is in the Haggadah, 'How is this night different from the others?' you can answer them: 'We are vaccinated'," the Israeli premier jested in reference to the Passover meal.
Israel's reproduction rate has dropped to 0.78, according to a new report from the military task force on the coronavirus released, Sunday. This is the first time since late October that the reproduction rate was lower than 0.8.
Just 773 of the 27,026 people who tested for the virus, Saturday, were found to be infected with COVID-19, for an infection rate of 2.9%, according to Health Ministry data. The assessment is that the relatively low number of infections is due to the low number of tests performed over the weekend.
There are 633 people in serious condition, 191 of whom are on ventilators. Although 779,934 Israelis have recovered from the virus, 5,992 have died.
Just 8,000 of the 33,000 people to be vaccinated on Saturday received their first dose. Among Israelis aged 50 and over, 86% have been vaccinated. Experts have encouraged those who have recovered from the virus to get vaccinated given the threat of possible reinfection with variants of the disease.
According to the task force report, "The number of confirmed [cases] and seriously ill patients is consistently on the decline, but the extent of morbidity remains relatively high, and we must beware of complacency, The continued easing of restriction could lead to a renewed increase in morbidity, in particular among those who have yet to be vaccinated."
Coronavirus chief Nachman Ash said, "The decrease in morbidity data is encouraging, and I hope this trend will continue at least until Passover."
At a government meeting on whether to allow over 3,000 people to enter the country daily, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, "The only thing that can kill our vaccination campaign and the miracle we have seen before our eyes is the entry of variants from overseas."
Speaking at Sunday's meeting, Edelstein said, "I hear the calls to 'open the skies' and 'open the gates of entry to Israel.' If we had listened to these voices, we wouldn't have 6,000 dead but 16,000 dead."
He said, "The only thing that can ruin the improvement in morbidity is opening up Ben-Gurion Airport. That's not another 10 people in a restaurant or hall. The ministry's position will be presented to the High Court of Justice, up to 3,000 entering a day.
Immigration and Assimilation Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata of the Blue and White party argued in favor of opening the airport at the meeting.
To allow more Israelis to return to take part in the March 23 election, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, in consultation with the Health and Foreign Ministries, ordered her ministry to allow flights from additional destinations including Madrid, Amsterdam, Larnaca, and Addis Ababa.
In an interview with local radio station 103FM, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, "There's no reason to assume there will be a lockdown ahead of Passover. What we have here is a miracle we have all been dreaming – the vaccine miracle."
Although the team of experts advising the government on the coronavirus headed by Professor Ran Belicer recommended the requirement on mask-wearing outdoors be rescinded, Edelstein voiced opposition to the move.
"We have over a million people who can be vaccinated and haven't gone to get vaccinated, and there are 2.5 million children," he noted. "I don't see a reason to remove the masks."
As for assertions Israel had played the role of guinea pig for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Edelstein said, "There's no reason to think there's a problem with the vaccines. There's no proof of it being dangerous. Millions of people around the world have been vaccinated, and we can't suddenly assume there's a risk."
On the opening of Ben-Gurion Airport, Edelstein said, "This is the impact of the elections on the corona. The Health Ministry never asked to open the airport, but it was explained to us that we couldn't stop people overseas from coming to vote."
As the government moved to ease lockdown restrictions in recent weeks, the mass vaccination campaign has enabled the country to reopen its economy in most sectors. Last week, bars, restaurants, sports halls, colleges, cultural venues, and hotels resumed activity. The government is due to meet this week to discuss easing additional measures regarding the number of people allowed to meet in closed spaces and the opening of amusement parks.
Following calls to allow family members to visit their relatives inside nursing homes, the Health Ministry announced, Saturday, that unvaccinated children under the age of 16 would be allowed entry. The number of visitors allowed, however, would be limited.
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