Health Minister Yuli Edelstein on Monday night approved the removal of masks in classrooms and in public spaces until the weekend, due to the heat wave in Israel and upon the recommendation of the professional echelon of the Health Ministry.
Edelstein said, "The measures against coronavirus must be taken seriously, but the heat wave may be dangerous in itself. In light of the recommendations of the professional echelons, I decided to allow the removal of the masks when there is no gathering."
Edelstein instructed the Director-General of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, to sign a permit to remove masks in classrooms and in the public space, as long as there is no gathering.
The order published by Bar Siman Tov says that from Tuesday, May 19 through Friday, May 22, "the requirement to wear masks will not apply to students staying in a school as well as to those in an open area or non-air-conditioned building except during a gathering, due to the extreme heat load on those dates."
The decision was made following the request of the Ministry of Education to cancel the obligation to wear masks in schools during the extremely hot weather, and after several local authorities that schools would be shut down as a result of the requirement to wear masks.