Israeli Military to Only Call Up Reservists Who are Vaccinated or Recovered From COVID, Report Says

Israel started mass vaccination against COVID-19 last December, and administered high numbers of shots, with more than half of the population being fully inoculated. However the country currently faces a surge in cases as the Delta strain continues to spread throughout the world.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has temporarily suspended the calling up of reservists who hadn’t been vaccinated or hadn’t been infected with coronavirus, the Times of Israel reported on Sunday, citing new instructions from military.

Reservists, arriving for operational activity or training exercises, have to provide vaccination certificates or tests results, confirming the presence of antibodies. The guidelines also include mask mandates during outdoors training with the participation of over 100 people.

In addition, the document requires mandatory vaccination certificates or proof of recovery for IDF events that involve civilians.

The move has come amid a surge in the Israeli military testing positive. To date, there are 637 infected in Israeli forces, including conscripted soldiers, officers, NCOs and civilian employees. according to IDF.

Almost 58 percent of country’s population has been fully vaccinated, and the Israeli government approved the third booster dose for people over 60. Meanwhile, Israel now registers more than 3,000 new cases daily, for the first time since the March, prompting the government to bring back some restrictions such as compulsory mask wearing in crowded places and remote work.