People in Israel will no longer be required to have masks on while outdoors or in schools as it undermines resilience during extreme hit waves that have covered the country over the past several days, Health Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein on Tuesday
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th May, 2020) People in Israel will no longer be required to have masks on while outdoors or in schools as it undermines resilience during extreme hit waves that have covered the country over the past several days, Health Minister Yuli-Yoel Edelstein on Tuesday.
On Monday, an association of Israeli pediatricians asked the Ministry of Health to let children go to school with no masks on. They sent a letter in which they claimed that masks can be harmful to children's health amid hot weather, while providing no scientifically proven protection against the coronavirus.
"Protection against the coronavirus must be taken seriously. But a heatwave can be dangerous in itself. Based on the recommendations of specialists, I instructed the Health Ministry's director general to sign a permit to be without masks in school classes and in public places," Edelstein said on Twitter.
The new regulation will remain in force until May 26.
Temperature in Israel over the past few days has been abnormally high even for the summer season. In most parts of the country, daytime heat has hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
