(singer singing in foreign language)
- [Narrator] People dancing shoulder to shoulder
while listening to live music in a stadium.
(upbeat music) (crowd clapping)
During the pandemic, scenes like these have been rare
to say the least.
- Wow, it's great, it feels great.
Back to life.
- [Narrator] 500 people were able to attend this event
in Tel Aviv as long as they could prove
that they had been vaccinated against COVID
by showing a QR code and an ID.
It's part of a so-called green pass system,
which is also accepted by gyms,
museums, bars and restaurants
as authorities want to demonstrate
that getting COVID shots gives access
to gatherings and public events.
As of early March, more than half of Israel's population
had received at least one dose of the vaccine,
a greater share than any other country.
But a recent survey found that 25% of Israelis
had no plans to take the vaccine.
- Did you guys get vaccinated?
- [Narrator] To convince them, volunteers
have been walking around
and touting the benefits of immunization.
And health workers are offering freebies
that include free drinks, pizza
and tickets to basketball games
for those that get the vaccine.
- If everybody will take the vaccine,
we can open all the stores,
we can open all the business
and it's very important for the economy.
- [Narrator] Israel is going to extremes
to reach its goal of vaccinating everyone over 16
by the end of March and reopen its economy
as quickly as possible.
(whistle blowing)
- Today we are spreading awareness
for everybody to get vaccines.
- [Narrator] Ali Greenfield is a volunteer medic.
At this market in Jerusalem,
she helps spread the word
by encouraging people to get vaccinated
at a nearby bar where other volunteers
were also offering drinks.
- The idea here is for them to come to the bar,
they'll then receive a drink,
a non-alcoholic drink
in return for getting vaccinated.
There you go.
- [Narrator] By early March,
the majority of people aged 50 and above
had been fully vaccinated
while less than half of the population under 40
had received their first dose.
Those who say they are wary
of taking the vaccine cite different reasons.
According to a survey, 41% of people
who hadn't yet been vaccinated
said they feared side effects
and 30% said they weren't sure the vaccine was effective.
One issue health workers are focused on
is vaccine misinformation, stressing to people
that vaccines have gone through clinical trials
before being authorized by local authorities.
- People have a lot of fears
'cause they hear a bunch of things
from different friends or different news channels
that aren't necessarily true.
- To help with that, we have volunteers
who are out and around in the market explaining
to people the importance, answering questions
and actually bringing them here.
- [Narrator] Some campaigns focus on the ultra-orthodox
and Arab communities where some have been skeptical
of the vaccination program.
The government has also set up a taskforce
to fight vaccine misinformation,
like these employees are doing here
in Israel's Health Ministry control room.
And in some cases, it seems to be working.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] In Holon, a suburb south of Tel Aviv,
volunteers at this popup clinic offer goodie bags
and free basketball tickets to the first 5,000 people
to get vaccinated.
- We're trying to do our best to give the people the idea
to come and take the vaccine.
- [Narrator] Around 85% of Holon's residents
had already been vaccinated
at the beginning of March.
One reason Israel is pushing its vaccination program so hard
is that it's crucial to the country's plan
to reopen its economy quickly.
- The fact that Israel has been so fast
in vaccinating it residents
also means we will probably be the fastest
in reopening our market.
- [Narrator] Citizens who have been inoculated
can register for Israel's green pass system,
which is meant to help the country reopen safely
and allow activities like indoor dining to resume.
- [Man] The green passport essentially says
if you've been vaccinated twice,
you have access to all these places.
- Some other countries, including Saudi Arabia
and the EU have said they were considering similar systems
for people who had gotten their vaccines.
But critics have raised questions
on whether the strategy could result
in a two-speed system
with potentially unequal access
to some public services and travel.
Israel says the system isn't affecting access
to essential services.
(upbeat music)
- For the first time,
we are allowed to have a rock concert
but the restrictions still apply.
So only 500 people can attend this show.
There are 30,000 seats and 500 people.
- [Narrator] But green passes are allowing people
to take cautious steps towards normalcy.
- The green pass program is great.
It feels like things are starting to open up
and getting back to what we were used to awhile ago.
(upbeat music)