The Israeli government announced on Monday that citizens with beards for religious reasons would not be required to shave. The country's health authorities last week recommended the widespread use of masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus. However, the beard can affect the effectiveness of the accessory. A particular model of mask will therefore soon be available, explains the Al Jazeera television channel.
"We are in the process of setting up an industrial certification for masks, which means that we will have masks of different sizes in a few days," said Itamar Grotto, the associate director general at the Ministry of Health. "People with beards will have adequate masks at their disposal," he added.
Shaving had been considered
Itamar Grotto added that a sanitary measure prohibiting the wearing of beards was "not current at the moment". The spokesman for the chief rabbinate of Israel had however indicated that the religious authority was ready to consider imposing a shaving on practicing Jews.
The beard is an important sign of faith for many Jews, Muslims and Christians in Israel. The measures announced by the government asking to cover the mouth and nose to fight the spread of Covid-19 had given rise to many questions in religious circles.
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