A senior health expert on Monday called to bring back the Green Pass mandate, saying only those who've been vaccinated or have recovered from coronavirus should be allowed to enter confined public spaces.
Israel had lifted almost all health restrictions in May following a rapid vaccination campaign but the spread of the Delta variant has led to the surge in new COVID cases, prompting the government to bring back some curbs.
Professor Ran Balicer, who heads a panel of medical professionals advising the Health Ministry on the pandemic, told Ynet the measures that have been reintroduced so far are not enough to stop the surge of the pathogen.
"I am not saying that we should return to the Green Pass mandate in its previous form, for example maintaining a distance of two meters between tables, but it is possible to establish a policy that only a person who has been vaccinated or recovered from coronavirus is allowed to enter a confined space," he said.
Prof. Balicer said that although the rise in new cases and severe patients is not dramatic, if it continues along the same trajectory, it may become "uncomfortable" for the health system.
"At some point there will be a point where the health care system will say, 'It's too much, it's uncomfortable for me,' and then it will be very, very difficult to stop it," he said.
"When there are 5,000 or 10,000 new daily cases, even if the number of serious patients remains small, lots of people will need isolation, and this will create an unbearable burden on the economy. We do not want to interfere with economic activity and damage it."