Health maintenance organizations will be authorized to start vaccinating patients who have recovered from the coronavirus, the Health Ministry announced Monday.

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In its press release, the ministry said the decision would come into effect starting Tuesday. Israelis aged 16 and up will be able to receive their jabs three months after recovering. However, contrary to standard procedure, they will only receive one shot of the vaccine.

The ministry added that it had nevertheless instructed the health providers to focus the inoculation efforts on those aged 50 and more – a group where only 13% are yet to be vaccinated, as per the latest data. Also of priority are Israelis across all age groups who have not received a single vaccine shot yet.

On Tuesday, the ministry reported that of the 90,751 tests it conducted the day before, 4,624 came back positive.
There are currently 39,190 active coronavirus patients in the country. Some 1,198 Israelis are hospitalized, of whom 729 are in serious condition.

Israel has reported 781,857 cases and 5,779 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year. To date, 736,888 Israelis have recovered from the disease.

Data further shows that as of Tuesday, 4,772,078 Israelis have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and 3,439,919 have been fully immunized.

Meanwhile, despite observing an increase in the infection rate in recent days, the government decided to go ahead with the next stage of the lockdown exit plan.

Beginning on Sunday, students in grades seven to 10 who live in "green" and "yellow" cities will return to studies at school. Small cafes and restaurants will be allowed to reopen without requiring visitors to present a vaccination or recovery certificate.

Those who possess a green passport will be able to attend large restaurants and hotels with prior reservations.
With the exception of "red" cities, Israelis will be able to gather up to 20 people indoors and 50 outdoors.

Health officials butted heads over easing the lockdown restrictions. Coronavirus chief Professor Nachman Ash proposed pausing the exit due to the rise in infection rate and the mass gatherings that took place on Purim, whereas Health Minister Yuli Edelstein insisted on continuing with the plan as scheduled.

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The ministry also expressed concern over the increase in infection rate and the forthcoming wedding season and Ramadan holiday in the Arab sector. In 2020, weddings and family meals were the leading cause of a severe COVID outbreak among this population.

In addition, the vaccination rate among Arabs is much lower relative to their number in the general public. Despite launching the vaccination campaign in Arabic, especially targeting the elderly Arab population, HMOs have had little success in getting them to the vaccination sites.

i24NEWS contributed to this report.

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Israelis who have been vaccinated for or recovered from the coronavirus will be able to travel from Ben-Gurion Airport to Eilat as early as this week as part of a special pilot conducted by local provider Israir, the airline announced Sunday. 

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The company is set to launch a series of flights this week to try new ways of having passengers arrive and leave the airport. Eilat was chosen as a destination as the government has already allowed all hotels in the city to reopen. 

As part of the first stage of the pilot, Israir will launch a weekly flight to Eilat on Tuesday. The price of the ticket is set at 141 shekels ($43).

Every passenger will be required to present a "green passport" that confirms they have either been fully vaccinated or a certificate verifying they have recovered from COVID. 

Airline employees working on such flights will be fully vaccinated, as well. 

Israir noted that besides the pilot, it also plans to resume its regular scheduled flights for the general public, stressing that each aircraft will be disinfected in accordance with regulations. 

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As Israel power through its campaign to vaccinate the entire population against coronavirus, concerns remain high about the rapidly developing variants of the virus, which were the subject of a meeting attended by high-ranking civil aviation official in Israel recently convened.

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The meeting, the main points of which were obtained by Israel Hayom, discussed a few optimistic points about the Israeli vaccination program. However, officials present said it was "not an exaggeration" to expect that no foreign citizens would be allowed to enter Israel for the rest of 2021, a scenario that would decimate the nation's tourism sector.

Officials in the meeting also discussed an expected recovery in the aviation sector as Israelis who are vaccinated and issued "green passports" resume travel abroad. Destinations mentioned as likely to be popular with Israelis included Cyprus, Dubai, Bahrain, Morocco, and the Seychelles.

Ben-Gurion International Airport is working to make itself a COVID-free space by implementing a number of steps that will likely include frequent COVID tests for airport employees and strict enforcement of public health protocols.

As of Monday, nothing said in the meeting had been formally announced. Decisions are expected to be taken over the next few weeks – although not by the Israel Airports Authority officials who were in the meeting, although they are in regular contact with the political echelon that does make policy decisions.

The Population Administration in the Interior Ministry, which issues visas for foreign citizens, confirmed that no decision about entry for foreigners had been made.

As far as Israeli citizens, as of this week any Israeli returning from any destination abroad is required to quarantine at home for 14 days, unless the Health Ministry approves a shorter quarantine after two negative tests. Israelis returning from the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, South Africa, and Zambia are required to quarantine at a dedicated government-run hotel facility due to the spread of the South African COVID variant in these countries.

Anyone who refuses to be tested for COVID upon arrival from any country will also be required to quarantine at a hotel.

Meanwhile, travel agents are reporting growing demand for vacation reservations for this coming spring and summer, due to the rapid vaccination and the likelihood that fully vaccinated citizens will not be required to quarantine upon arrival.

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Israel plans to launch a pilot of its "green passport" program on Jan. 5. The plan calls to issue Israelis vaccinated against COVID and recovered COVID patients with "green passports," which will be logged in a new Health Ministry application.

The passports will be valid for one year. Recovered COVID patients will receive passports if they present a blood test that proves the presence of antibodies in their body. Israelis who test negative for COVID but have not had the virus or been vaccinated will be able to receive temporary green passports valid for a three-day period.

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In the first month, passport holders will have entry into tourism islands in Eilat and the Dead Sea.

At a later stage, travelers from abroad or those who came into contact with a coronavirus patient will be exempt from the otherwise mandatory quarantine period.

To prevent forgeries, the Health Ministry application will include a verification process, where each user will be asked to enter their phone number, ID number, and date of birth.

Children and Israelis under the age of 16, who cannot be vaccinated, will be able to receive similar permits only if they are registered with the Health Ministry as recovered patients or have been tested negative for the coronavirus.

The pilot is scheduled to continue for two weeks. On Jan. 15, the ministry will launch another version of the program, which will include a QR code that will allow passport holders to visit malls, attend cultural and sports events, and more. The application will also contain instructions for business owners and municipal information on the virus.

The Coronavirus Cabinet is currently debating whether entry into large shopping complexes and restaurants should hinge on permits, as such a regulation would impinge on freedom of movement. Another problem is whether or not forcing children to test negative for COVID before entering shopping malls would be an unwise use of limited resources.

"This is great news for businesses and a significant catalyst for a return to normal life," said Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen.

"The launch of the green passport program is a vital step toward opening businesses and reviving the economy. It will be a major incentive for people to get vaccinated."

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