Israel eliminates the use of chinstrap outdoors as of today

Israel lifted the requirement to wear face masks in public places on Sunday, in further relief from coronavirus restrictions after a successful vaccination campaign and extended quarantine.

In addition, all primary and secondary schools across the country have reopened for face-to-face lessons and health authorities have ended the requirement to wear a mask in public places after one year.

Masks will remain compulsory only in closed spaces or in large crowds of people.

Israel already has over 60% of its population vaccinated and has seen a 97% reduction in the contagion curve since last January, also thanks to a full quarantine that began in December and began to be gradually lifted in February.

The official leading the fight against the virus, Nachman Ash, told Israel Public Radio that lifting the requirement to wear masks in the streets and other public places is a “calculated risk”.

In view of this, perhaps also due to an already acquired custom, many were still walking in Jerusalem this Sunday with the mask that covered their mouth and nose, or placed on their chin to put it on quickly if they had to. enter a store or go upstairs. The bus.

Since the start of the pandemic last year, Israel has accumulated more than 836,000 coronavirus cases and at least 6,331 deaths, according to the health ministry.

Over 53% of its 9.3 million people received both doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and more than 60% of the former.

Since Israel launched its vaccination campaign and was confined for a month, severe cases and deaths from the coronavirus have fallen sharply.

As of Sunday, the Department of Health reported only 82 cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours. This was published by The Jerusalem Post newspaper. Meanwhile, in recent days, the country had only recorded around 200 daily cases.

AFG