Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared that the omicron "wave has been broken," during a meeting with ministers and health officials over the future of Israel's coronavirus policy.
“We are seeing a steep decline in the number of serious patients,” Bennett announced. “We were the first country to close its gates to omicron, so it's time we gradually loosen them."
“From my standpoint, we need to prepare to release the restrictions soon – an open economy and an open education system – without reaching a lack of capacity. That’s the proper balance,” Bennett said.
“We are preparing for the next wave,” he added. “I want us to learn lessons where necessary from how we managed the current wave, and we will be more prepared for future scenarios.”
Although new infections remain high, Israel’s Health Ministry has reported a steady decline in serious cases of COVID-19 since the peak of the country’s omicron wave earlier in February. The Health Ministry reported that there were 21,152 new cases on Wednesday. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 9,710 people have died of the disease, Haaretz reported.
Earlier this month, Israel decided to scrap the Green Pass vaccination certificate for most places of entertainment after experts deemed them increasingly ineffective during the omicron wave.
