"Coronavirus cabinet" approves increase in number of customers allowed in street shops and open-air shopping centers. Cabinet further approves designation of southern Israeli city of Eilat, Dead Sea area as "tourism islands."
PM Netanyahu, Health Minister Edelstein reportedly concerned minor rollback of coronavirus restrictions already causing spike in infections. Meanwhile, new research out of California's La Jolla Institute for Immunology indicates people who recover from the coronavirus remain immune for a period of at least eight months.
Local residents of tourist destination object to regulations mandating they be tested for COVID once a week.
Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz says government supports business reopenings in green communities and will launch a framework for cultural events in those areas.
Israel and Moscow will discuss the possibility of acquiring the Sputnik-V vaccine "in the coming days," PM Benjamin Netanyahu tells reporters.
Next year, the US government could have access to more than 1 billion doses just from the two vaccine makers, more than needed for the country's 330 million residents.
So-called "coronavirus cabinet" holds off on any decision-making despite meeting for seven hours. Netanyahu drops proposed nationwide curfew but suggests retail stores be closed for the evening to prevent spike in infection rate.
Coronavirus commissioner tells ministers night-time curfew would not be effective.
"At some point, the mortality rate will drop to such a low level that the government will begin to make decisions to return to a regular routine, long before the general public is vaccinated," Professor Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science predicts.
In parting speech, Professor Ronni Gamzu says he wasn't granted sufficient power in role, defends performance of his "traffic light" system of determining public health restrictions. “We must not allow vital medical needs to be compromised by politicking. What we need is a leadership that doesn’t just reproach the people but addresses them as equals,” he says.
