Israel got the first taste of a post-pandemic reality Tuesday, as the last of a series of restrictions in place for over a year lapsed amid a continuing fall in case numbers.
The Green Pass and Purple Badge systems, which had set guidelines for who can enter public venues and how those venues can operate, expired starting June 1, meaning that Israelis no longer require proof of vaccination or recovery to enter various venues, and capacity limits at stores, restaurants and other sites are lifted. There are now no caps on gatherings, indoors or outdoors.
Most businesses and schools have already returned to normal and enforcement of many health requirements that remained on paper have largely fallen away.
The only major restrictions remaining are a mandate requiring masks to be worn indoors, which is expected to be lifted soon as well, and quarantine requirements for unvaccinated people entering the country, Times of Israel reported.
Israel was among the first countries in the world outside of East Asia to impose major restrictions on its populace and those entering the country. Since caps on gatherings and across-the-board quarantine requirements were first introduced in early March 2020, the country has weathered three lockdowns of varying intensity, which brought life to a veritable standstill.
