Israeli Ministry of Health intends to make it mandatory to wear face masks for everyone who leaves home. This writes the Israeli edition of News.

The ministry plans to provide everyone with masks, but until this is done, citizens will be asked to cover their nose and mouth with either a piece of cloth or a makeshift mask.

Until very recently, in Israel, as in many other countries of the world, it was believed that masks are useless for protection against coronavirus, including for medical staff. The Ministry of Health was of the opinion that masks make sense only if the person who wears them is himself a distributor of the virus.

At the same time, Israeli experts, referring to the experience of Asian countries, primarily China and South Korea, considered this position unreasonable. In their opinion, ordinary masks, although they do not provide complete protection, are, however, capable of at least partially hindering the transfer of small drops released from the patient's respiratory tract (nose or mouth) - when coughing or sneezing. This is especially important if a healthy person is in close proximity to the patient (at a distance of less than 1 meter).

While the Ministry of Health was making a decision, citizens made their own choice, buying up within a short time the entire supply of masks that retail could offer (a similar situation was observed in other countries). The deficit was so acute that even in hospitals there were no masks when the Ministry of Health decided that medical personnel needed protection.

In order to provide at least masks and respirators to physicians, it was necessary to use the Mossad, which through its channels provided the protection required for physicians at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus.

Although the Ministry of Health has not completely changed their mind about the effectiveness of their protective masks, the department cannot but agree with the obvious fact that there may still be thousands of carriers of the virus in Israel, the infection of which does not have obvious symptoms. These people, unaware that they are sick, continue to contact others and infect them.. Thus, wearing masks will at least reduce the spread of infection.

At the moment it is not clear when this order will be put into effect, and how it is planned to provide masks in a short time. It is reported that a decision has already been made on the mass production of disposable and reusable masks, as well as respirators.