Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday said Israel must take more steps to stop the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 or find itself under lockdown.
In the weekly cabinet meeting the prime minister said Green Pass restrictions must be extended to shopping malls where, he claimed contagion takes place adding that such a move could convince more Israelis to receive the coronavirus vaccine.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday
(Photo: Emil Salman)
The ministers approved an extension to the existing restrictions put in place late last month including banning the arrival of non-Israelis into the country, quarantine for all arrivals and compulsory use of masks indoors. Ministers also approved modification to school restrictions, which allowed students to avoid quarantine if less than three of their classmates were found positive for the virus.
"The tourism industry is suffering greatly and we must find a way for compensation but if we have to impose a lockdown we will suffer a massive blow to the economy," Bennett said. "We must take decisive action now - with a limited economic impact or have 100 times more of a blow later," he said.
Bennett also called on Israelis to rush to receive coronavirus vaccines if they , before the more infectious Omicron variant spreads in the country.
"Don't wait for the variant to spread everywhere," he said as he warned that immunity is only reached after the passage of a period of time.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (center) urges public to vaccinate on Sunday
(Photo: Emil Salman )
There is an apparent decline of 35% in first dose vaccines administered over the past week.
Some 36,321 mostly young children ages 5 to 11 received their first dose of the jab, down from 55,802 during the previous week.
A drop was also seen in people arriving to receive their booster shot with 23,813 vaccines administered, down from 25,420 during the previous week, indicating a 6% reduction.
Bennett also said the government was considering a roll out of an additional, forth dose of the vaccine for the at-risk population after a Health Ministry official told Ynet that the additional dose could be administered as of January or February of 2022.
The Health Ministry on Sunday released data collected over the past week, which shows 4,169 new COVID-19 cases confirmed, a 15% increase from the previous week. Some 223 of the cases were detected on Saturday.
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Children arriving at the vaccination center in the West Bank Settlement of Efrat for their COVID vaccines
(Photo: Yoav Davidovitch)
The R factor – indicating spread of the virus in the community, dropped slightly and stands on 1.09.
The ministry also said that 44% of those confirmed with the virus on Saturday were under the age of 11, the 12-15 age group made up 6%, and 5% were over 60 years of age.
Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Bennett said the steps his government took a fortnight ago were wise and should have been taken by countries where the Omicron variant is now spreading quickly.
"It is not complicated to understand that if the international airport would not have been closed to foreign visitors, the variant would have spread further in Israel as well," he said.
There are currently 55 confirmed cases of COVID caused by Omicron in Israel.
"The number of cases could rise quickly," the prime minister said adding that more mitigation steps are needed. "We must use everyday to vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate. These are precious days that must be used to bolster the immunity of Israelis," he said.
"We are not protected enough," Bennett went on to say. "We see the situation in other countries and see that children are infected, so I call on parents to protect their kids. Don't waist another moment. Protect the children," he said.