Israel will end local COVID-19 restrictions on June 1st following a successful vaccine rollout that has nearly stamped out new infections, the country's Health Ministry said on Sunday.
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With the majority of the population having received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and about 92% of those aged 50 and older inoculated or recovered, Israel has been gradually reopening its economy after three lockdowns.
The country reported just 12 new virus cases on Saturday, down from a daily peak of more than 10,000 in January.
Curbs on higher-risk activities and limits on how many people can gather in a specific area remain, with a government-issued "Green Pass" that indicates immunity post-vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 allowing greater freedom.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Sunday that he will not be extending the arrangement, meaning the restrictions and the Green Pass system will be revoked from the start of June, following consultations with senior ministry officials.
"The economy and the citizens of Israel will get extra room to breathe," he said, but also warned that they could be reimposed should the situation take a turn.
Israel will continue to keep its borders closed to most incoming travel, though it has started to let in small groups of vaccinated tourists. The Health Ministry will also re-examine the requirement to wear face masks in closed spaces in two weeks.
According to a Health Ministry official, "Mask-wearing is the smallest price … for the entire market to be open. If the trend doesn't change over the next two weeks, experts will discuss their removal in closed spaces as well."
Edelstein said, "Israel is returning to routine life."
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Edelstein said Israel's vaccination campaign was the most successful in the world thanks to the efforts of medical workers, Health Ministry officials, Magen David Adom, and the "amazing enlistment of Israel's citizens."
"For some time now, we have been reaping the fruits of the vaccines with low morbidity [levels], and now we can go back to normal life," he said.
Nevertheless, Edelstein said, "The Health Ministry will continue to monitor the situation to prevent an outbreak. Of course, if there is an outbreak, we'll have to revert [to previous restrictions]. I call on Israel's citizens not to leave for countries with high morbidity and follow the Health Ministry's travel advisories. Even while in countries we can fly to, it's important to maintain social distancing. Upon returning to Israel, there is a duty to pay extra attention to the guidelines. The low morbidity of the disease depends on us."
Meanwhile, coronavirus chief Nachman Ash on Sunday said he expected Israel to begin vaccinating adolescents against COVID-19 of children aged 12 to 15 to begin soon, pending a final Health Ministry review of the risks involved.
Last week, the US Centers for Disease Control reported that "some teenagers and young adults" who received COVID-19 vaccines had experienced heart inflammation.
Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, often goes away without complications and can be caused by a variety of viruses.
The CDC did not specify how many people had been affected and recommended further investigation.
Ash said the Ministry wanted to ensure that there were no adverse side effects.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
