Israel is moving toward tightening the rights of vaccinated citizens by adding booster shots to its COVID-19 “green pass” that’s required to enter restaurants, clubs, gyms, hotels, among many other indoor settings.
The new vaccine passport was announced by officials on Oct. 3 and will be available to people who have received the third dose of a government-approved COVID-19 vaccine or recently recovered from the disease.
Israel’s new system will replace its previous one that required just two shots to become eligible for a green pass. Under the new rules, Israeli citizens will have to prove they have had a booster shot after their previous two doses expired after six months.
The new policy means that about 2 million people risk losing their vaccination passports in the coming days, prompting scores of protesters to take to Israeli streets in demonstrations around the country against the government’s new system.
About 37 percent of Israel’s 9.4 million population has received a booster shot. The number of patients hospitalized with the CCP virus and who are in serious condition has been dropping in recent days.
Since Oct. 5, store owners or event organizers in the country also had to start scanning a customer’s digital barcode before allowing entry. There will be some exemptions, such as museums and libraries.
“The new green label will enable the management of an ongoing life routine, when the economy is open and fully operational, including the education system,” the country’s health ministry said.
Israel is the first country to make booster shots a requirement before being allowed access to a vaccination passport.
The country started giving booster shots to risk groups in July and, by the end of August, expanded its campaign to include anyone above the age of 12, five months or more after a second dose.
