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DATE | 2021-05-01 |
FROM | Ruben Safir
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SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] The COVID-19 Digital Police State will NEVER END
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Religious-affairs ministry officials had stipulated that only those
carrying a green passport could attend a religious festival on Thursday
at Mount Meron, where dozens of people were killed in a stampede, but
health officials had said it would be impossible to check the status of
those attending.
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wsj.com
Israel Rolls Out Covid-19 Passport Program to Children, Who Can’t Yet Be
Vaccinated
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TEL AVIV—Israel has extended its Covid-19 vaccine passport system to
children who aren’t yet eligible to be inoculated, allowing them to
visit cinemas, restaurants and other entertainment businesses as it
continues to reopen its economy.
Under the program, children with negative PCR tests will be eligible for
a three-day so-called green passport that will be associated with their
parents’ passes. The passports take the form of a QR code that can be
carried on a smartphone, though their use isn’t always enforced.
Religious-affairs ministry officials had stipulated that only those
carrying a green passport could attend a religious festival on Thursday
at Mount Meron, where dozens of people were killed in a stampede, but
health officials had said it would be impossible to check the status of
those attending.
Organizers estimated that some 100,000 people were at the site by midnight.
In Israel, so-called green passports allow those who have had both shots
of the vaccine to enter bars, gyms and restaurants.
Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/Zuma Press
The country of nine million has led the world’s fastest vaccination
program, with nearly 75% of its eligible population fully vaccinated.
But given a lack of clinical trial data for children, policy makers
haven’t yet extended the campaign to those under 16, meaning about 2.6
million aren’t eligible to be vaccinated.
This has limited the extent to which Israel can reopen its economy
without causing further outbreaks. Israel says its solution is a stopgap
measure until medical trials demonstrate that children can be safely
vaccinated against the virus.
Other countries with high vaccination rates, such as the U.S. and U.K.,
face similar problems. Herd immunity requires between 70% and 85% of a
population being protected, health officials say, and this is impossible
in countries like the U.S. and Israel if children aren’t vaccinated.
Children under 16 account for 22% of the current U.S. population.
Israel's Final Covid Vaccination Push: Live Music, Free Drinks
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Israel's Final Covid Vaccination Push: Live Music, Free Drinks
Israel's Final Covid Vaccination Push: Live Music, Free Drinks
Israel is allowing vaccinated citizens to access gyms, restaurants and
live concerts. As the country races to immunize all adults against
Covid-19 and reopen fully, it is even offering free drinks and pizza to
entice those who are hesitant to get the shot. Photo: Tamir Elterman
“We haven’t had any outbreaks from green-pass activity over the past
eight or nine weeks,” said Tomer Lotan, executive director of Israel’s
coronavirus task force. “We are very confident that the green pass is a
very effective defense layer on the economic activity in Israel.”
Last month, Israel began offering rapid tests at sites such as hotels
and sports stadiums, costing about $10 to $20, which allowed children
with negative test results to enter. The expansion will include regular
PCR tests that are much more accessible and are free for everybody.
Israeli health officials said they would begin to vaccinate children
between the age of 12 and 16 when the vaccine is approved by Israeli and
international regulators. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in
April that Israel signed new deals to buy millions of vaccines from
Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. to begin vaccinating children later this
year and launch another vaccine campaign for adults.
So far, many businesses that largely cater to children such as cinemas
and amusement parks remain closed. But officials hope the expanded green
passports will allow them to reopen next week when additional
restrictions are lifted, including the elimination of caps on the number
of people frequenting venues using green passports, such as restaurants
and stadiums that have been operating at reduced capacity.
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
Would you support a national vaccine passport? Why or why not? Join the
conversation below.
Health officials in Israel say it remains an open question as to what
role children play in spreading the coronavirus when the adult
population is largely vaccinated.
Ran Balicer, chief innovation officer of Israel’s largest healthcare
provider, Clalit, said that because the country was the first to
introduce the mass vaccination of its adult population, it will be at
the forefront of establishing what restrictions can be safely removed
without sparking a resurgence of infections.
“We have to try to have a stepwise and gradual approach and are
continuously measuring to make sure that we haven’t crossed this
invisible threshold that we aren’t sure where it lies,” he said.
--
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
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Being so tracked is for FARM ANIMALS and extermination camps,
but incompatible with living as a free human being. -RI Safir 2013
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