- Title: Israel eases out of COVID-19 lockdown, reopens some schools
- Date: 11th February 2021
- Summary: MEVASERET ZION (FEBRUARY 11, 2021) (REUTERS) BLURRED SHOT OF CHILDREN AND TEACHER IN CLASSROOM AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, CLAPPING VARIOUS BLURRED SHOTS OF CHILDREN RAISING THEIR HANDS IN CLASSROOM BLURRED SHOT OF CHILDREN PLAYING IN SCHOOL YARD NINE-YEAR-OLD, FOURTH GRADER, RAFAEL MOORE, ARRIVING AT SCHOOL, BUMPING ELBOWS WITH SCHOOL'S HEAD TEACHER (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAFAEL MOORE, 9-YEAR-OLD FOURTH GRADER, SAYING: "It's very fun the go back to school. I think it just brings joy to all the people. I just think it's hard without seeing other friends and it just gives joy and brings hope and I'm really happy that the corona is almost over and we can almost just get together and be normal." VARIOUS OF CHILDREN ENTERING SCHOOL VARIOUS OF CHILD BEING KISSED BY HIS FATHER, BEING WELCOMED BY HEAD TEACHER AT SCHOOL GATE BLURRED SHOT OF CHILDREN BEING WELCOMED BY HEAD TEACHER AT THE SCHOOL GATE SEVEN-YEAR-OLD, SECOND GRADER, EITAN AND HIS MOTHER ODELIA ARRIVING AT SCHOOL, HEAD TEACHER HUGGING EITAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) ODELIA WAINSHTAIN, EITAN'S MOTHER, SAYING: "I have to admit that I had doubts, even this morning, to send Eitan back to school due to the new mutations and the fact that kids now can get sick with COVID-19 as well." CHILDREN ENTERING SCHOOL (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOTHER OF SIX-YEAR-OLD NATHAN, FIRST GRADER, AYALA BIRNFELD, SAYING: "We are very excited to be back to school, even tough we know we have a mutation right now but we are strong and I think we are going to beat the virus." (SOUNDBITE) (English) SIX-YEAR-OLD, FIRST GRADER, NATHAN, SAYING: "I'm very excited to be back and I'm happy to be with my friends." CHILDREN LEARNING IN THE SCHOOL YARD CHILD STUDYING MATH IN THE SCHOOL YARD, HUMMING BLURRED SHOT CHILDREN ENTERING SCHOOL PETAH TIKVA, ISRAEL (FEBRUARY 11, 2021) (REUTERS) VIEW OF SHOPPING MALL WHERE SHOPS OPENED IN PROTEST AGAINST LOCKDOWN AND GOVERNMENT AND MEASURES INSPECTORS ENTERING SHOP VARIOUS OF INSPECTORS TELLING VENDOR TO CLOSE SHOP, ISSUING A WARRANT VARIOUS OF INSPECTORS ISSUING WARRANTS (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) MOSHE ROSENBLUM, CEO OF OFFER SHOPPING CENTERS, SAYING: "We wanted to open the shopping mall in the morning but the police, the government decided to prevent us from opening and send police and inspectors to prevent the opening." WOMAN AND CHILD WALKING PAST CLOSED SHOP EXTERIOR OF SHOPPING CENTRE
- Embargoed: 25th February 2021 11:23
- Keywords: COVID-19 Health coronavirus lockdown restrictions schools open shopping centers
- Location: MEVASERET ZION AND PETAH TIKVA, ISRAEL
- City: MEVASERET ZION AND PETAH TIKVA, ISRAEL
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Health/Medicine,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA001DZ79N47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Israel eased some COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday (February 11), reopening some kindergarten and elementary schools in cities and communities where coronavirus infection rates are relatively low or at least 70 percent of the population over 50 have been vaccinated.
At an elementary school in Mevaseret Zion, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, both pupils and parents, despite their health concerns, said they were happy to return to school after more than five weeks of studying from home.
"It's very fun the go back to school. I think it just brings joy to all the people. I just think it's hard without seeing other friends and it just gives joy and brings hope and I'm really happy that the corona is almost over and we can almost just get together and be normal," said nine-year-old Rafael Moore.
In the other areas, where schools remained closed, the government allowed educational activities with up to 10 people in outdoor spaces.
Since December Israel has been under its third lockdown. A record vaccine rollout has been slow in easing the country's pandemic curbs.
On Thursday, three Israeli shopping malls reopened in protest against the government's COVID-19 rules, allowing in people who have received their vaccination.
City inspectors who arrived earlier in the day issued warnings and ordered vendors to close before handing out fines.
"The government decided to prevent us from opening and send over here police and inspectors to prevent the opening," said Offer Shopping Centers CEO, Moshe Rosenblum, from one the malls in the central city of Petah Tikva.
Israel plans to allow those who carry documents showing they have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 to stay in some hotels, use gyms and other leisure facilities in about two weeks, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Wednesday (February 10).
Edelstein also said he was looking to require teachers who are not documented as having been vaccinated or recovered from to COVID-19 to get tested every 48 hours. The health ministry says that around 50% of teachers have been vaccinated, and that Edelstein's proposal would not be in effect by Thursday.
After launching the vaccination drive and Israel's third national lockdown in December, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted the economy could begin reopening this month. He is up for reelection on March 23.
(Production: Dedi Hayun, Rami Amichay, Lee Marzel) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
