Health Minister Yuli Edelstein says Israel won’t force any of its citizens to get vaccinated or sanction those who refuse the shots.
“Those who choose not to get vaccinated — that’s their right. There will be no personal sanctions against someone who doesn’t get vaccinated. We don’t do such things,” says Edelstein.
But he also says that “soon there will be workplaces in which workers who engage with the public must be vaccinated or tested every 48 hours.”
Edelstein’s comments come in a press conference about the new “green pass” program, going into effect on Sunday, which will enable entry for the vaccinated and recovered COVID patients to gyms, theaters and other venues.
He cautions in his remarks that forgeries of the vaccination certificate will be met with prison time.
As of Thursday, 4.1 million Israelis have received the first vaccine dose and 2.7 million are fully inoculated.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein at a press conference in Jerusalem on February 10, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
