• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

Restaurants and Bars Packed in Anticipation of New Year Despite New Restrictions

Jan 2, 2022

In recent news, citizens of the State of Israel crowded inside restaurants and bars throughout the country late on Friday night. All the people present wanted to have a big and hearty celebration for New Year’s, despite the rising number of coronavirus patients in the country. The citizens ignored the freshly imposed restrictions placed just recently and went out to have fun on the last night of the year. Various young people present inside the restaurants and bars were questioned about the new restrictions. However, they stated that they were not especially worried about catching the virus. In their opinion, the fact that they are vaccinated will protect them from the disease. 

Moreover, they are of the opinion that Omicron is not as dangerous and serious as the last couple of mutations. Uriel Shishkin, said that she was not concerned at all because she had received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine. While enjoying music at a bar located in Tel Aviv, she recommended people to get vaccinated and go out to party without worrying. Another citizen out on New Year’s asserted that given the fact that he was vaccinated, even if he did contract the virus, the effects would only be mild. On the other hand, other people out to celebrate just said that they were partying but were also taking precautions seriously. 

A 22-year-old said that he was initially worried about leaving his house with his friends and going out to celebrate. However, his concern dissipated when they mutually decided to find an uncrowded place to hang out in, sit outside, and enjoy the beginning of the New Year. On Thursday, the relevant authorities in the Jewish state had imposed fresh restrictions, especially on gatherings. These were designed in a way to head off a rising number of new cases, spiked due to the sheer number of people partying outside their houses and leading to a spread in the highly contagious Omicron variant. 

Various ministers unanimously passed rules that required people to have a Green Pass in order to enjoy any outdoor religious and cultural events, which were being attended by 100 people or more. In addition, a directive was signed by the chairman of the Health Ministry to make it mandatory for people to wear masks outdoors, even if they were attending a gathering of 50 people. Previously, outdoor gatherings consisting of only 1,000 people or more were required to ensure that attendees had Green Passes. These are only granted to people who have recently recovered from the deadly disease or have received both doses of the vaccine. 

On the other hand, unvaccinated people attending gatherings must present a negative result of the coronavirus test. Back in April, the country had lifted its mask mandate for outdoor gatherings and recommended that they be worn only where a large number of people are present. However, according to the new rules, masks are mandatory in even small gatherings now, which include as few as 50 attendees. 

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