Israel's coronavirus cabinet approved Monday the scrapping of the Green Pass mandate in shopping malls after retailers complained of challenges in enforcing the rule.
Last month, Israel expanded its stringent Green Pass restrictions to include shopping malls all around the country, in a bid to stem the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of coronavirus. Green Pass acts as a coronavirus vaccination or recovery certificate.
The ministers were supposed to vote on the proposal at the cabinet meeting on Sunday, but it was postponed due to the opposition of some of the ministers. On Monday morning the new outline was approved via a telephone vote.
In accordance with the cabinet's decision, stores measuring more than 100 square meters will no longer be required to ask customers to present a Green Pass before entering, however large stores will be obliged to have no more than one shopper per 15 square meters.
Stores smaller than 100 square meters will allocate seven square meters per customer.
It was also decided to allow a mall operator to decide whether to demand that a Green Pass be presented at each individual food stall, or require the certificate to be presented at the entrance to the entire food court.
Stores considered "essential," such as supermarkets and pharmacies, will be exempt from the restrictions on the number of customers per meter.