Israel to Require Green Pass at Malls

Green Passes proving coronavirus vaccine or recovery status will be required to enter malls in Israel beginning on Friday, following a decision by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and health professionals taken at a meeting on Tuesday evening. Shoppers will be issued a colored bracelet to enter the mall and enter stores freely. A shopper who does not hold a Green Pass will be permitted to enter a store that provides essential services, such as a pharmacy or grocery store, without a bracelet, and then will be required to leave. Many store owners are reportedly refusing to comply with the new regulations and some have vowed to challenge them in the High Court of Justice. Eli Avidar, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, expressed his opposition to the new rules on Twitter, writing, “This is a hasty move without any epidemiological logic nor connection to reality. This is a blow to business owners and a blow to citizens.” He added, “The democratic public is losing the trust it still has left, and blames those who lend a hand to this madness.”