After one of the most rapid vaccine rollouts in the world and infections dropping, Israel rescinds order to mask outdoors. mid-day got four Israelis to describe 'freedom' in their own words.
Israelis hug at the beach in Tel Aviv, last week. As of April 18, they are allowed to circulate outdoors without a face mask. Pic/Getty Images
Last Sunday, on April 18, Israel announced that it has scrapped its outdoor mask mandate. The country with a population of nine million serves as the most powerful example of how an efficient vaccine rollout can benefit the world grappling with a pandemic.
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Just months ago, Israel had the world’s highest infection rate with the Coronavirus outbreak leaving 6,300 people dead, and a total of 8,36,000 infections in the last year. The Jewish state, however, sent its caseload tumbling after securing a steady stream of vials and inoculating 53 per cent of its total population.
A photo taken in Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem, often referred to as The Shuk. Shopkeepers welcomes maskless crowds after the government’s April 18 announcement. Pic/Oren Rosenfeld
In exchange of Pfizer/BioNTech jabs, it agreed to share data from Israel’s centralised trove of medical statistics to study “whether herd immunity is achieved after reaching a certain percentage of vaccination coverage”. Pfizer has not signed a similar agreement with any other country.
The vaccines-for-data trade-off may have sparked debate among data privacy experts, but the fact is that Israel leads the world right now when it comes to emerging from the pandemic. The country has fully reopened its education system and will soon allow entry to vaccinated foreign tourists into the country.
‘It’s nice to sit in a group like the old times’
David Yehezkel has started going to the mall and the mariners’ club again
David Yehezkel, 82, guest lecturer
Born in Mumbai, I studied at St Mary’s and then at Ruparel College. In 1963, I immigrated to Israel with my wife Jeanette and daughter. Till 2001, I worked as senior chief radio officer in Zim Israel Navigation Co. After leaving the sea in 2004, I now work as a lecturer in marine English at the Nautical College. I live in Haifa, and been here throughout the pandemic. Apart from the fact that my classes moved to Zoom, not much changed for me. I think our kids were more worried for our health since the virus is said to affect senior citizens the most. Since my wife and I took the vaccine in December 2020, everyone is relieved. The Pfizer jab, however, is said to offer immunity only for six months. So we might have to take another in June. I think what helped Israel was the fact that we had an effective police force implementing the lockdown measures. Here, cops don’t use lathis, they penalise you if you are caught without a mask. Violators were charged 500 Israeli Shekel, which is R11,500 in Indian rupees, as penalty. There were many groups—orthodox Jews, Arabs and young Israelis—who were not enthusiastic about wearing a mask or getting the vaccine. But awareness changed that. Another thing is that we all have a health card which when swiped into the system, throws your medical history. The government offers health benefits to its people. So, having a centralised and organised healthcare system really worked in our favour. I remember the first thing I did after the no-mask announcement was to go to a mall. Masks are still required indoors. I also go to the mariners’ club, where we have a huge garden with a pergola. It’s nice to sit there in a group again. Like everything else, this will pass.
‘Israel has seen many emergencies. We will move on’
Oren Rosenfeld (right) with a friend chugging beer on Gordon Beach
Oren Rosenfeld, 45, documentary filmmaker
When the borders started closing in March 2020, I was in Mumbai shooting a documentary film on Jews in the city. Abruptly, I had to pack my bags. Fortunately, I did some assignments for Netflix and Discovery here, since they could not send their crew to Israel. The lockdown was a blessing in disguise, until my great uncle, Zalman Cohen, succumbed to COVID-19 last April. He was a teenager during WWII and survived the Holocaust at a concentration camp in Auschwitz. He was 89 and his death from the virus shook me. At the time, the Israeli government wasn’t sure of what was needed for its people; there was no vaccine in sight. But soon, the Prime Minister acted swiftly. Restrictions on international travel continue, and some government offices do insist that you wear a mask indoors, but largely, everything is back to normal. When the masks came off, the first thing I did was head to Gordon Beach in Tel Aviv; it was so crowded that there was no place to put a towel. Almost everybody was maskless, and enjoying the sun. I was done with both the vaccine doses in January, so I didn’t feel the need to carry a mask either. I think people have short-term memory. In Israel, we have seen many wars, many tragedies. We can go from zero to 100 in a minute. We are used to emergency situations; we will move on.
‘I’ve started to hug people’
Anna Lison on Moshe Kol Bridge in Eilat, on her way to work
Anna Lison, 37, municipality officer
I live in Eilat, the southern most port and resort town near Jordon. I have been working with the municipality of Eilat and handling international relations for five years. From time to time, during the lockdowns, I had to be in strict quarantine. Sometimes, I had to take a forced vacation. It was scary at the start. But I decided to start school again; I am doing my masters in international relations. This was only possible because of the pandemic. While thankfully nothing extreme happened to me or my loved ones, my husband Alon was scared he might contract the virus. I would worry when he’d get anxious. But finally, both of us took a jab in February. Since last Sunday, I feel a bit weird to take off my mask. I still wear it even if I don’t need to. However, outdoor activities have increased for me. I went to a theatre show and concert last week. My husband refused to join, but I had a blast. I have begun hugging people again. It all feels very new.
‘I’ll enjoy the freedom once my Palestinian friends get vaccinated’
Ruth Peri is once again socialising outdoors with friends
Ruth Peri, 33, NGO worker
I live in East Jerusalem with my sister and a flatmate. I work for Holy Local Aliens, a group of Palestinian and Israeli friends who organise trips, hikes and other experiences. Since my work involves organising public events, the lockdown put a stop to my job, and affected me emotionally. A lot of my friends struggled with depression. I am a social person, and not being able to meet my friends and family made me sad, but the biggest jolt came when my grandfather, Solomon Pereplijotschikov, died in Germany. He lived in an old age home, and none of us could go and see him. He didn’t die of COVID! He was down and out because he was lonely, and away from family. Seniors have borne the worst brunt. But things are looking up for me now. I got my vaccine dose in March, and as the government eased restrictions, I started seeing my friends. Drivers no longer scream at you if you don’t wear a mask. My Palestinian friends are yet to get vaccinated. Once they do, it will be freedom worth enjoying.
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