COVID-19: Israel lifts mandatory outdoor mask-wearing, reopens schools

According to the health minister, the mandatory mask-wearing in public spaces was cancelled in the wake of a low number of diagnosed cases.

The education ministry said in a statement that all students from kindergarten to 12th grade have returned to school. The "capsules," or small-group learning sessions, have been canceled, according to Xinhua news agency.

Nevertheless, the students and teachers still have to wear masks in class.

The masks are intended to protect us from the coronavirus. After professionals decided this was no longer required in open spaces, I decided to enable taking them off," Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said in the statement.

Israelis still have to wear masks in indoor spaces, such as supermarkets.

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Israel launched a national vaccination campaign in December, 2020. Over 53 per cent of the country's 9.3 million citizens have received both shots of the Pfizer vaccine.

According to official statistics, Israel has reported a total of 836,926 cases and 6,334 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in February 2020.