Israel gradually emerging from nationwide lockdown over COVID-19: Reports

On Friday, the Israeli government approved the extension of the third nationwide lockdown, which was introduced back in late December, until the morning of February 7.

According to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, starting from Sunday, Israel abandons the ban on movement for up to one kilometer (0.62 miles) from home, as well as allows nature reserves, national parks and outdoor archaeological sites to resume operations. Restaurants and stores are now allowed to offer takeaway and one-on-one services, while employees that do not directly make contact with the public can return to offices.

At the same time, schools will remain closed until February 9, with the government expected to discuss the next steps regarding educational institutions later on Sunday. According to preliminary recommendations, kindergartens and schools are expected to partly reopen in the so-called yellow and green areas, where the number of infections is low.

Israel loosens restrictions as the vaccination campaign is ongoing across the country. To date, more than 3.4 million citizens have already received at least one shot of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.