Israel sees reopening of restaurants on March 9 amid vaccination drive

FILE PHOTO: People walk inside a shopping mall with most shops shuttered due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, in Petah Tikva, Israel February 11, 2021. REUTERS/Corinna Kern

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel plans to reopen restaurants around March 9 as part of its gradual return to normality as a COVID-19 vaccination campaign gathers pace, an official said on Sunday.

With more than 41% of Israelis having received at least one shot of Pfizer Inc's vaccine, Israel plans to partially reopen hotels and gyms on Feb. 23 to those deemed fully inoculated, or immune after recovering from COVID-19.