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Mask requirement reimposed for all indoor settings except the home
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Israel has already started its vaccine drive for children aged 12 to 15
Masks up again in Israel as Delta variant drives up cases
Ten days after being allowed to ditch masks, Israel told its citizens on Friday they must again wear them to combat a sustained surge in coronavirus infections attributed to the highly contagious Delta strain, the agencies reported.
Israel has largely eased restrictions on movement after rapid vaccination brought down the cases to under 40.
But infections this week shot up fourfold to 138 after outbreaks attributed to the Delta variant at two schools. This prompted officials to tighten some restrictions again and urge parents to have children between 12 and 15 vaccinated.
The health ministry reimposed the mask requirement for all indoor settings except the home.
Currently, around 65 percent of Israel’s population have been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19, the health ministry said.
Israel has already started its vaccine drive for children aged 12 to 15, with 600,000 eligible for inoculation.
Thousands have booked appointments through the country’s health maintenance organizations (HMOs), according to media reports in the country.
The move came six months after Israel began its vaccination drive for adults, and after the US Food and Drug Administration okayed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the age group.