The government on Sunday approved a one-week extension of the Green Pass COVID regulations, which were set to be canceled on Feb. 1, along with restrictions on gatherings.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
All but three ministers – Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton, and Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej – supportedthe extension of the Green Pass.
Although he voted in favor of the extension, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman said, "I repeat, we will not allow the Green Pass to be extended after Feb. 6, not even by a second."
The Green Pass, which indicates whether a person has been vaccinated against or recovered from COVID, is required to enter most businesses and public venues.
However, many health experts have called for it to be canceled, saying it has become obsolete since being previously infected or vaccinated does not protect against the Omicron variant.
According to the experts, the Green Pass might even be "dangerous," due to the fact that in places where it is required, people feel safe and might neglect protection measures.
These places would therefore be conducive to contamination according to the experts, who recommend requiring a negative test in addition to the Green Pass, particularly at the entrance to retirement homes.
On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported that the reproduction rate, which indicates the average number of infections by a confirmed carrier, dropped to 0.95, showing a downward trend in the epidemic.
According to the ministry's latest report, 45,258 people tested positive on Saturday, the lowest number since Jan. 15. The percentage of positive tests processed Sunday stood at 29.73%.
However, January, which ends Monday, saw a spike in COVID mortality, with 50 more patients dying of the virus in the final days of the month, putting the total number of COVID deaths in Israel in January 2022 at over 500. Since the pandemic hit Israel in early 2020, 8,724 Israelis have died of COVID.
On Sunday, 74,312 Israelis tested positive for COVID, the Health Ministry reported Monday morning. As of Monday, there were 462,220 confirmed cases in Israel, including 421,490 known active or symptomatic cases.
There were 1,099 COVID patients hospitalized in serious condition on Monday, 332 of whom were listed in critical condition, 241 of whom were on ventilators, and 20 of whom were on ECMO machines.
i24NEWS contributed to this report
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories
