- [Narrator] People dancing shoulder to shoulder

while listening to live music in a stadium.

(upbeat music) (crowd clapping)

During the pandemic, scenes like these have been rare

to say the least.

- Wow, it's great, it feels great.

Back to life.

- [Narrator] 500 people were able to attend this event

in Tel Aviv as long as they could prove

that they had been vaccinated against COVID

by showing a QR code and an ID.

It's part of a so-called green pass system,

which is also accepted by gyms,

museums, bars and restaurants

as authorities want to demonstrate

that getting COVID shots gives access

to gatherings and public events.

As of early March, more than half of Israel's population

had received at least one dose of the vaccine,

a greater share than any other country.

But a recent survey found that 25% of Israelis

had no plans to take the vaccine.

- Did you guys get vaccinated?

- [Narrator] To convince them, volunteers

have been walking around

and touting the benefits of immunization.

And health workers are offering freebies

that include free drinks, pizza

and tickets to basketball games

for those that get the vaccine.

- If everybody will take the vaccine,

we can open all the stores,

we can open all the business

and it's very important for the economy.

- [Narrator] Israel is going to extremes

to reach its goal of vaccinating everyone over 16

by the end of March and reopen its economy

as quickly as possible.

(whistle blowing)

- Today we are spreading awareness

for everybody to get vaccines.

- [Narrator] Ali Greenfield is a volunteer medic.

At this market in Jerusalem,

she helps spread the word

by encouraging people to get vaccinated

at a nearby bar where other volunteers

were also offering drinks.

- The idea here is for them to come to the bar,

they'll then receive a drink,

a non-alcoholic drink

in return for getting vaccinated.

There you go.

- [Narrator] By early March,

the majority of people aged 50 and above

had been fully vaccinated

while less than half of the population under 40

had received their first dose.

Those who say they are wary

of taking the vaccine cite different reasons.

According to a survey, 41% of people

who hadn't yet been vaccinated

said they feared side effects

and 30% said they weren't sure the vaccine was effective.

One issue health workers are focused on

is vaccine misinformation, stressing to people

that vaccines have gone through clinical trials

before being authorized by local authorities.

- People have a lot of fears

'cause they hear a bunch of things

from different friends or different news channels

that aren't necessarily true.

- To help with that, we have volunteers

who are out and around in the market explaining

to people the importance, answering questions

and actually bringing them here.

- [Narrator] Some campaigns focus on the ultra-orthodox

and Arab communities where some have been skeptical

of the vaccination program.

The government has also set up a taskforce

to fight vaccine misinformation,

like these employees are doing here

in Israel's Health Ministry control room.

And in some cases, it seems to be working.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Narrator] In Holon, a suburb south of Tel Aviv,

volunteers at this popup clinic offer goodie bags

and free basketball tickets to the first 5,000 people

to get vaccinated.

- We're trying to do our best to give the people the idea

to come and take the vaccine.

- [Narrator] Around 85% of Holon's residents

had already been vaccinated

at the beginning of March.

One reason Israel is pushing its vaccination program so hard

is that it's crucial to the country's plan

to reopen its economy quickly.

- The fact that Israel has been so fast

in vaccinating it residents

also means we will probably be the fastest

in reopening our market.

- [Narrator] Citizens who have been inoculated

can register for Israel's green pass system,

which is meant to help the country reopen safely

and allow activities like indoor dining to resume.

- [Man] The green passport essentially says

if you've been vaccinated twice,

you have access to all these places.

- Some other countries, including Saudi Arabia

and the EU have said they were considering similar systems

for people who had gotten their vaccines.

But critics have raised questions

on whether the strategy could result

in a two-speed system

with potentially unequal access

to some public services and travel.

Israel says the system isn't affecting access

to essential services.

(upbeat music)

- For the first time,

we are allowed to have a rock concert

but the restrictions still apply.

So only 500 people can attend this show.

There are 30,000 seats and 500 people.

- [Narrator] But green passes are allowing people

to take cautious steps towards normalcy.

- The green pass program is great.

It feels like things are starting to open up

and getting back to what we were used to awhile ago.

(upbeat music)