After its world-leading vaccination campaign, Israel lifted all COVID restrictions in June.Authorities swiftly restored mask wear and tightened travel rules after a Delta-type outbreak.Insider talked to three Israelis to find out how they feel about the setback, which is so close to the end of the pandemic.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.Israel ended social distancing from the public and required that they wear masks after implementing the COVID vaccine program, which was the most successful in the world.A low but increasing number of cases, due to the Delta variant's arrival, prompted government officials to return masks to indoor spaces and announce a drive for vaccinations. They also imposed mass testing at airports.Authorities are determined not to allow another spike. There are 33 cases of serious illness in Israel at the moment. This is compared to around 8,600 cases in January, when Israel was just beginning its vaccination drive.A dose of BioNTech/Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is given to an Israeli girl by the Magen David Adom. This was part of a campaign launched by the Tel Aviv Yafo Municipality in order to encourage teenagers to get vaccinated. It took place on July 5, 2021. JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty ImagesHowever, 13,000 teachers and students are currently under quarantine. The interior minister also threatened to close Ben Gurion Airport if the number of cases continues to rise.For the country that first used the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to combat the pandemic, the rising case load is worrying.A study published this week found that the vaccine was only 64% effective in preventing transmission of the Delta variant, but 93% effective in preventing hospitalization.Miriam BritzKohn, a mother of three, is 49 years old and lives in Binyamina, north Israel. This is where the Delta variant was first detected in Israel in June 20.The school of her son informed her that one-year-old children had tested positive. Mobile testing centers were immediately sent to check for any spreading. She said that Binyamina was a small town, and it had made a significant impact on the community."I felt that we had beaten Corona. It was great. But then, it started to affect our neighborhood and that was a wakeup. It'll continue to rise and fall and will be difficult to eliminate completely. At least, not in the near future.Her neighbors who had previously stayed home to prevent infection were now sending their children to school. They are afraid that they might bring home an even more transmittable form of COVID.Israel had already begun to vaccine children between 12 and 15 years old. The rising number of cases has encouraged more parents to vaccinate their children.Naftali Bennett, Israeli Prime Minister (2nd from the right), listens to Nitzan Horowitz (center), as she speaks during a visit at a Maccabi Healthcare Maintenance Organisation (HMO), which offers COVID-19 coronavirus vaccines in Holon (near Tel Aviv) on June 29, 29, 2021. Bennett announced that he would be vaccinating children on that day. AMIR COHEN/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesBritz-Kohn stated that many people are now vaccinating their teens to prevent the whole family from being isolated if they come in contact with someone who has tested positive.Britz-Kohn stated that her middle child, age 13, is not yet vaccinated. However, he had COVID and should have antibodies.She stated that she was not sure if she wanted to get him vaccinated because he is older and more likely to contract severe coronavirus symptoms. In light of rising cases, she is now planning to get him vaccinated.Shlomit Levy was a senior nurse at Tel Hashomer Hospital. She wore her mask everywhere she went, even after the mandate was lifted for three consecutive weeks.She said, "Everybody should have one." "Because we all should wear one, transmission can be kept low and life can continue."Insider spoke to Levy that she believed masks kept her, and her colleagues, safe during the year prior to being vaccinated. Levy works in a cancer unit and believes that while some of her colleagues may have caught COVID, it was most likely not inside the hospital.She is now part of a group that tests for antibodies to determine how long the vaccine protects her. She is concerned that her antibody levels will decrease and she may be at risk of contracting the new variant."I wear an N95 mask to protect myself and stop the spread of disease. I am not only afraid of myself but also my patients. Because of their cancer treatment, some of them could not be vaccinated.May Bejach (28), a Tel Aviv University student, is anxious about another lockdown. It was "very difficult" for her to do online teaching when COVID was first introduced."The city that never sleeps, was asleep for a whole year. All was shut down and all streets were empty. It was terrible," she said to Insider.She said that she was happy when things returned to normal. She also stated that she didn't expect another lockdown because cases are still low and few people are getting seriously ill with 65.2% of those who have been fully vaccinated.She isn't sure how she would deal with another lockdown. "We were vaccinated before we got married, so we are more prepared for what's coming. We must be cautious with masks, and we hope the numbers stay low to ensure that our lives don't get disrupted again.Bejach still plans to go to Italy, a trip she had to cancel due to COVID. With COVID imminent, she said that increased airport testing and new rules might be "just something we have to get used too."On August 22, she will fly there. "The new restrictions make me think that they will keep getting worse and might cancel us again."
