Israelis hold placards at a rally in Tel Aviv on July 31, 2021 denouncing the government’s renewed restrictions to combat Covid-19.
Israelis hold placards at a rally in Tel Aviv on July 31, 2021 denouncing the government’s renewed restrictions to combat Covid-19.
Israelis hold placards at a rally in Tel Aviv on July 31, 2021 denouncing the government’s renewed restrictions to combat Covid-19.
Israelis hold placards at a rally in Tel Aviv on July 31, 2021 denouncing the government’s renewed restrictions to combat Covid-19.

MENA

Israelis protest against new rules to combat rising Covid cases

Country reimposes restrictions after opening up in April

The National
Tel Aviv, July 31, 2021 (AFP)

August 01, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Hundreds of Israelis demonstrated against vaccines and coronavirus restrictions in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Positive cases and hospital admissions in Israel have risen to levels not seen in months, driven by the more contagious Delta variant.

On Saturday, the health ministry reported that 2,435 new Covid cases had been recorded the day before, the highest number since March.

There were 326 hospital admissions, the most since April. The figure falls well below the peak, in January, when more than 2,000 people were admitted as in-patients daily.

Protesters held banners that read: “There’s no pandemic, it’s a con”. Many had placards denouncing coronavirus vaccines. One poster linked vaccines to the Nazis.

Israel has in recent days rolled out a booster vaccine shot for older citizens, reimposed mask requirements indoors and restored “green pass” restrictions requiring vaccine certificates for entering enclosed spaces such as gyms, restaurants and hotels.

The rise in infections is a step back after Israel’s world-leading vaccine campaign drove down new Covid-19 cases from 10,000 a day to fewer than 100.

Last month, the Israeli government was cautiously optimistic its successful vaccination drive would save it from the deadly surge in cases seen earlier in the pandemic.

On Saturday, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz told Israeli Channel 12 TV he intended to balance public health with livelihoods.

“The economy must remain open,” he said.

“I don’t want to impose a lockdown and I will avoid a lockdown at all costs. Everything is open – but we need masks and we need vaccines.”

But about one million Israelis who are eligible for vaccines still refuse to be immunised.

The five million Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are not part of Israel’s vaccination programme. The Israeli government has opted to vaccinate about 100,000 Palestinians who have Israeli work permits.

From Sunday, some children between ages 5 and 11 who are at risk of health complications will become eligible for vaccines.

Israelis display their ‘Green Pass’, proof of vaccination or immunity against the coronavirus, at the entrance to a performance by singer Nurit Galron at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv.
Israelis display their ‘Green Pass’, proof of vaccination or immunity against the coronavirus, at the entrance to a performance by singer Nurit Galron at Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv.
A man displays his ‘Green Pass’ at the entrance to the concert.
A man displays his ‘Green Pass’ at the entrance to the concert.
A elderly woman receives a booster shot of her vaccination against Covid-19 at an assisted living residence.
A elderly woman receives a booster shot of her vaccination against Covid-19 at an assisted living residence.
A woman displays her ‘Green Pass’ at the entrance to the Nurit Galron concert at Yarkon Park.
A woman displays her ‘Green Pass’ at the entrance to the Nurit Galron concert at Yarkon Park.
People dance at a concert.
People dance at a concert.
The Nurit Galron concert for which the audience had to show green passes to gain entry.
The Nurit Galron concert for which the audience had to show green passes to gain entry.
The Nurit Galron concert for which the audience had to show green passes to gain entry.
The Nurit Galron concert for which the audience had to show green passes to gain entry.
A customer at Nashville Barber Shop gets a shave after coronavirus restrictions were eased, opening shopping centres, gyms, barber shops, among other sites in Jerusalem.
A customer at Nashville Barber Shop gets a shave after coronavirus restrictions were eased, opening shopping centres, gyms, barber shops, among other sites in Jerusalem.
A visitor presents a coronavirus vaccination certificate at the entrance to the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem.
A visitor presents a coronavirus vaccination certificate at the entrance to the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem.
People present their coronavirus vaccination certificate at the entrance to the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem.
People present their coronavirus vaccination certificate at the entrance to the Khan Theatre in Jerusalem.
People wear face masks as they attend the Khan Theatre to watch a show in Jerusalem.
People wear face masks as they attend the Khan Theatre to watch a show in Jerusalem.
An Orthodox Christian clergy member puts on his face mask while walking out of the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.
An Orthodox Christian clergy member puts on his face mask while walking out of the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.
A drive-through Covid-19 screening centre run by the Magen David Adom national emergency service in the car park of Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv.
A drive-through Covid-19 screening centre run by the Magen David Adom national emergency service in the car park of Yarkon Park, Tel Aviv.
Residents of an assisted living residence in Israel dance after receiving their booster shots of the vaccination against the Covid-19.
Residents of an assisted living residence in Israel dance after receiving their booster shots of the vaccination against the Covid-19.
Medics, seen through a window of an observation room, wear personal protective equipment as they work inside an underground ward treating Covid-19 patients at the Critical Care Coronavirus Unit at Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan.
Medics, seen through a window of an observation room, wear personal protective equipment as they work inside an underground ward treating Covid-19 patients at the Critical Care Coronavirus Unit at Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan.
A woman is immunised against Covid-19 as part of a Tel Aviv municipality initiative offering a free drink to people having the vaccine shot.
A woman is immunised against Covid-19 as part of a Tel Aviv municipality initiative offering a free drink to people having the vaccine shot.


INDIA V SOUTH AFRICA

First Test: October 2-6, at Visakhapatnam

Second Test: October 10-14, at Maharashtra

Third Test: October 19-23, at Ranchi

While you're here
School uniforms report
MATCH INFO

Schalke 0

Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')

Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)

Did you know?

Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.

Rebel%20Moon%20%E2%80%93%20Part%20Two%3A%20The%20Scargiver%20review%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zack%20Snyder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sofia%20Boutella%2C%20Charlie%20Hunnam%2C%20Ed%20Skrein%2C%20Sir%20Anthony%20Hopkins%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule

 

  • 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
  • 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
  • 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.

Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.

The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.

Updated: August 01, 2021, 8:36 AM`