Hairdressing salons reopened, customers returning to certain shops and trips that can stretch for more than a kilometer: Israel began on Sunday February 7 to come out of its third lockdown since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Sunday morning, non-essential businesses were able to reopen in Jerusalem, for example, such as Eli Aroas' barber shop.
"
I have informed my clients that we are going back to work (...) The clients will arrive soon and we hope that this is the end of this saga
", rejoiced Eli Aroas, 58, while waiting to be able to take out his scissors and beard trimmers.
Sarit Reouven, 49, came to central Jerusalem to buy shoes just in time for her son's wedding on Monday, February 8.
“
This reopening is really a good thing.
There is a wind of optimism in the air (...) I believe that we can already foresee the end of the crisis
", she said, hoping to get out of her"
last confinement
".
A record of deaths from Covid-19 in January
Despite the containment measures in place since the end of December, and the very effective vaccination campaign, January was the deadliest month since the start of the pandemic in Israel, with more than 1,000 deaths from the virus.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, the country of nine million inhabitants has officially recorded more than 686,000 cases, including 5,074 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The Hebrew state is currently registering an average of around 6,500 new cases per day compared to around 8,000 in mid-January, according to official figures.
However, the authorities expect to see the number of cases, and especially hospitalizations, decrease in the coming weeks due to the massive vaccination campaign.
Hotels closed, international flights still suspended
Since Sunday, Israelis can move beyond one kilometer from their homes.
Nature reserves and national parks have also announced the reopening of their doors, as have guest houses, but only to nuclear families.
As for the hotels, they remain closed and restaurants are once again allowed to sell take-out but not to serve their customers on site.
International flights, almost all suspended since January 24, will not resume before February 20, the government announced Friday, February 5, which is also maintaining the closure of land borders.
Transport Minister Miri Regev, however, told military radio on Sunday that the government would allow Israelis stranded outside the country to return with special planes before February 20.
The cabinet must finally meet again on Sunday February 7 to decide on the continuation of the deconfinement measures, in particular with regard to the school system, completely closed for more than a month.