Israel virtually drops Covid-19 vaccine passport requirement

 Israel has virtually dropped a rule requiring people to show documents to prove their vaccination status, despite record numbers of severely ill patients suffering from Covid-19.

As of Monday, people will only have to prove they have been vaccinated or recovered by showing their "green passport" when attending major events such as weddings.

That means anyone can go to a restaurant, cinema or hotel without having to show the document or proof that they have tested negative for the coronavirus.

The rule change also means that when people leave Israel, unvaccinated people will no longer have to show they have tested negative for the virus.

The easing comes despite the fact that more than 1,200 people are in hospital with a Covid-19 infection, the highest number since the pandemic began in the country of 9.4 million.

Omicron wave peaked

According to the Health Ministry, 1,235 patients are seriously unwell.

However, the wave of the Omicron strain of the virus peaked around two weeks ago.

Some 52,600 new cases were reported on Monday, significantly fewer than earlier spikes of 85,000 in the space of a day.