H eadlines
ISRAELBRIEFS Israel Begins to Reopen, 41% of Country Fully Vaccinated
ISRAEL BEGAN TO REOPEN on March 7, ending its third
lockdown of the coronavirus pandemic, JTA reported.

The reopening comes with 41% of the country fully vaccinated
and 55% having received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

The reopening is not complete, as mask mandates remain
in place and capacity restrictions and distancing requirements
continue for gathering places like restaurants and event halls.

Fully vaccinated Israelis will benefit from “Green Passports”
attesting to their immunity status, which allow them to dine
indoors and to gather in greater numbers than those not vaccinated.

Restaurants can reopen at 75% capacity indoors for vaccinated
Israelis, while unvaccinated people can be served outdoors. Israel’s
Ben-Gurion Airport, which has been largely closed since January,
will allow 1,000 people to enter the country daily, with the number
increasing to 3,000 later this week, The Times of Israel reported.

Salaries Rise 7% in Israel in 2020, Jobs Decline 10%
The average monthly salary for a full-time employee in Israel
rose 7% in 2020 to $3,457, Globes reported, citing Central Bureau
of Statistics data.

But the report wasn’t all good news, noting that the number
of salaried jobs fell 10% — and that one of the reasons for the
increased average salaries is the fall in the number of low-paid
jobs because of the pandemic.

Job cuts were mostly in the hotel, catering and restaurant
sectors, where jobs fell 40.9%, and in the arts, entertainment and
leisure sector, where jobs dropped 35.7%.

Those working in the high-tech sector saw monthly annual
salaries rise 6.1% to $7,482.

Only 20% of Ben-Gurion Arrivals Follow Isolation Laws
Just one in five passengers arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport follow
Health Ministry-mandated home isolation guidelines, N12 reported.

And 20% of Israelis who arrive in Israel evade required tests.

N12 said the situation is responsible for at least 1,838 people
entering Israel while positive for COVID-19.

A tracking bracelet pilot has apparently worked, with only six
participants violating isolation requirements, but the bracelets
are in short supply.

Name: Jewish Fed. of Greater Phila. (
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The Jewish Federation's
Israel to Link Electricity Grid with Cyprus, Greece
Israel signed an agreement along with Cyprus and Greece to link
their electricity grids by laying the world’s longest undersea power
cable in the Mediterranean Sea, The Times of Israel reported.

Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz signed a memorandum of
understanding on the 745-mile Euro-Asia Interconnector with
Cypriot counterpart Natasa Pilides and Greece’s Kostas Skrekas,
who joined them by videoconference.

In a joint statement, the three ministers agreed “to promote
cooperation to examine the possibility of planning, as well as the
potential development and implementation of the project.”
Steinitz said the agreement will enable Israel “to receive
electricity backing from the power grids of the European conti-
nent in times of emergency and ... significantly increase reliance
on solar power generation.”
The first phase in installing the 2,000-megawatt undersea
cable is slated to be operational in 2025.

The three nations have formed a regional alliance based on
energy related to natural gas resources. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM JEWISH EXPONENT
MARCH 11, 2021
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