First modification: 17/02/2021 – 12:42Last modification: 17/02/2021 – 12:40
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Jerusalem (AFP)
“If you are vaccinated, you can enter!” Israel, the world leader in vaccination against covid-19, launched a controversial “badge” project so that only vaccinated people can access gyms, concerts and restaurants.
In recent days, the ministerial cabinet announced a schedule to bring the country out of its third confinement since the beginning of the pandemic through an intense vaccination campaign, which turns Israel into a small “world laboratory”.
So far four million Israelis have been vaccinated (45% of the population), of which 2.6 million received the second dose, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health. This is the highest vaccination rate in the world.
The country’s main health mutual, Clalit, published a study of 1.2 million people in which it concludes that the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine – the companies with which Israel has an agreement to exchange biomedical data – has a 94% efficiency.
With an effective vaccine and a high percentage of the vaccinated population, the authorities plan to gradually reopen gyms, museums, shopping centers, restaurants and cafes starting Sunday.
But not to everyone. The government announced a system of “badges”, purple for those who are not vaccinated or have only received one dose and green for those who have received their second injection or are “recovered” from covid-19.
– Green and purple –
Shopping centers, libraries, museums, cafes and some places of worship will open in “purple”, that is, for everyone.
And gyms, sporting and cultural events, restaurants (with reservation) will be open to holders of the “green badge”, that is, to those who have a double vaccination or recovery certificate.
“We are advancing in a responsible deconfinement in the form of ‘If you are vaccinated, you can enter'”, said the minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, on this measurement, that could be difficult to apply in the companies.
In addition to the “badges”, the Israelis who have received the two doses will also be able to receive a “green passport” that allows them to enter the country after a trip abroad without having to serve quarantine, but on condition that they have a test covid-19 negative.
– “Delicate balance” –
At the beginning of the pandemic, intelligence services had resorted to counter-terrorism measures to locate people who had been in contact with others who had contracted COVID-19, causing controversy and prompting politicians to stop the initiative.
This time, the government encourages people to get vaccinated, but it also wants to find a “delicate balance” between public health and respect for individual freedoms, Hagai Levine, a professor and researcher of public health at the Hebrew University, told AFP. of Jerusalem.
“In Israel, every person [mayor de 16 años] you can get vaccinated for free (…) and I think you have to get vaccinated. But it is also a right not to want to do it and in this sense the government cannot force anyone, “he says.
The covid “badge” and “passport” appear as authorities try to encourage vaccination among the very young, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strives to reactivate the economy before the March 23 elections, crucial for their survival politics.
According to official data, 96% of people between 70 and 80 years old, who are most vulnerable to covid-19, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, a rate that drops to 44% among young people between 20 and 29 years, in a country that has no vaccine supply problems.
“The authorities should have implemented this measure [los distintivos] a month earlier (…) but this is clearly part of Netanyahu’s campaign to be re-elected, “says Levine.
© 2021 AFP
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