Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz during his visit to Abu Dhabi. Photo: Israeli Foreign Ministry.

i24 News – Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that businesses in the country are expected to return to normal activity by the end of May, Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported.

“We estimate that by the end of May all businesses will be back in business and no longer need state financial aid. If they need funds in June, we will provide them with assistance,” he stressed.

“In the coming days, we will update the incentive program to encourage the long-term unemployed to return to the labor market,” Katz added.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, meanwhile, said there was no dispute between his ministry’s Director-General Prof. Hezi Levi and himself over the arrival date of Moderna vaccines.

“We do not disagree. The fact that Moderna is ready to speed up shipments makes me happy because we need a lot of vaccines. We can start vaccinating with Moderna doses when we are sure there are enough. A sufficient amount, because this vaccine also requires two injections,” he elaborated.

Israel is expected to receive six million doses of the Moderna vaccine in the coming months. The first delivery of 300,000 doses will take place in a few days.

To date, more than 1,500,000 Israelis have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. Fearing a shortage of doses, health authorities decided to halt the vaccination campaign for a few days, including closing some centers to the public.

On Thursday evening, the full lockdown will be reinforced across the country for at least 14 days, as more than 8,000 daily cases have been identified since the beginning of the week.