The newly appointed Health Minister, Yuli Edelstein, made a decision to temporarily remove the requirement to wear face masks in public spaces and in classrooms until Friday, March 22, due to the heavy heatwave Israel is experiencing this week.

“We need to view coronavirus protection very seriously,” Edelstein stated late Monday night. “But the heatwave could be dangerous in itself. On the recommendations of medical professionals, I have decided to lift the requirement for masks when not in a large gathering.”

The ministry added that the exemption from masks is only until the end of the week.

Many schools canceled classes due to the combination of the suffocating heat and requirement for the children to wear face masks, which school officials said was not possible to enforce in the heat.

According to the Israel Electric Corporation, a new record for electricity use was set on Tuesday afternoon. At 1:55 p.m., Israelis were using 13,809 megawatts of electricity, breaking the previous record for electricity use of 13,568 megawatts, set ten months ago.

Large forces of firefighters extinguished a large wildfire that broke out near the central city of Elad on Tuesday morning. It took 17 Fire and Rescue Services crews, eight National and Parks Authority crews, and eight firefighter planes to tame the flames which were whipped up by fierce winds. About 15,000 hectares of land were burned in a nature reserve in the area.

השריפה סמוך לאלעד: עם אור ראשון, שמונה מטוסי כיבוי צפויים להצטרף למאמצים לבלימת האש@hadasgrinberg (צילום: דוברות כבאות והצלה פתח תקווה) pic.twitter.com/k2tWMPmcFn

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 19, 2020

》בשריפה פעלו 17 צוותי כיבוי ממחוז מרכז ובסיוע צוותים ממחוז דן.
8 מטוסי של טייסת הכיבוי אלעד ו- 8 צוותים של רט"ג.
בשריפה נשרפו כ- 15,000 דונם של חורש טבעי ומרבית השטח הינו שמורת טבע. pic.twitter.com/lINMkzg2OD

— כבאות והצלה לישראל (@102_IL) May 19, 2020

Overnight Monday, firefighters battled a wildfire in Be’er Sheva and earlier on Monday, firefighters battled wildfires on the outskirts of Jerusalem at Neve Ilan as well as on Route 4.

The Jerusalem municipality recruited a number of unique new firefighters this week, over 150 cattle, sheep, goats and camels, which will graze the areas around the city to thin out vegetation, reducing the risk of wildfires, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The livestock are needed because they can reach areas that vehicles and equipment can’t.

The project is being carried out by the municipality in cooperation with the flocks’ owner from the Umm Lisun neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel Police and the veterinary service.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)