Israel plans to reopen restaurants around March 9, according to an official, as part of its gradual return to normality as a Covid-19 vaccination campaign gathers pace, Reuters reported.

With more than 41 per cent of Israelis having received at least one shot of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine, Israel plans to partially reopen hotels and gyms on February 23 to those deemed fully inoculated, or immune after recovering from Covid-19.

Nachman Ash, the national pandemic-response coordinator, said the reopening of hotel dining rooms, restaurants and cafes would follow two weeks later. “That would be around March 9,” he told Ynet TV. “We want to open gradually, carefully so we don’t have another breakout of another wave, and another lockdown.”