TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) The Israeli authorities intend to gradually lift all coronavirus-related restrictions and fully reopen the country by April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday.
Israel lifted the third lockdown on February 7 but kept many restrictions in place. A new round of quarantine easing, in particular regarding the operation of shopping centers and markets, took effect on Sunday.
"We seek to vaccinate the entire adult population by late March and fully relaunch the country's economy by April," Netanyahu said at a press conference broadcast by national media.
According to the prime minister, the country's mass vaccination campaign is set to cover at least 6.2 million Israelis.
The plan for exiting from the lockdown includes five phases. The country is currently at the first stage � the issuance of so-called green passports to those who have been vaccinated. The second stage will begin in mid-March and envisages the full restoration of the education institutions' work. The vaccination of all Israeli adults is set to be completed by the end of March, marking the fourth stage. And in April, at the fifth stage, the country will return to normal life, as all lockdown measures will be lifted.
Israel started mass immunization of its population on December 20. To date, over 4.5 million people � roughly half the population � have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and more than 3.14 million both doses.
