The number of new coronavirus infections in Israel has risen to its highest level in two months as 2,891 new cases were recorded within 24 hours, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.
In the Gaza Strip, the number of new infections exceeded the 1,000-mark for the first time. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 1,015 new cases have been recorded in the densely populated coastal strip.
New restrictions were planned in Israel if the number of daily infections exceeded 2,500. If the measures do not significantly reduce the number of new infections within three weeks, a new partial lockdown would be imposed.
The government also plans to start a vaccination campaign on Sunday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be the first to be vaccinated on Saturday evening.
Health Minister Juli Edelstein reiterated on Wednesday that vaccinated people would receive a "green passport" that confers specific advantages, for instance avoiding quarantine requirements, attending public events and going to restaurants.
The passport is to be handed out two weeks after the second coronavirus vaccination.
The Israeli epidemiologist Professor Nadav Davidovitch on Thursday called the "green passport" an "excellent idea" and an incentive for citizens to get vaccinated.
However, legal and ethical questions would have to be clarified and any violation of privacy would have to be ruled out, he said in an interview with journalists.
The passport could be used as an app on smartphones: "If you want to go to the theatre, for example, you can show that you have been vaccinated against the coronavirus or that you have antibodies after surviving an infection," said Davidovitch.
The epidemiologist, who is a member of a team of experts that advises the Israeli government on its coronavirus policy, emphasized that international agreements would be necessary for the "green passport" to be used for air travel.
The number of infections in Israel increased massively after a comparatively mild situation in summer, partly due to a premature relaxation of the rules.
In mid-September, the government imposed a second lockdown that significantly lowered the numbers. The government has been gradually easing the rules since mid-October, with infections rising again since then.
