Tel Aviv, April 5 (IANS) The Israeli Ministry of Health has announced the lifting of the mandatory obligation to wear a face mask in some of the military training units.

The decision follows a sharp drop in the number of active Covid-19 cases among soldiers to only 32, the lowest since June 17, 2020, and a request by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Xinhua news agency reported citing the Ministry as saying on Sunday.

The decision, currently valid for three months, includes training and combat units.

Thus, there will be no obligation to wear a mask in training and activities in open places, under the condition that at least 90 per cent of the participating soldiers have been vaccinated or recovered from the virus.

The Ministry noted that the IDF will monitor morbidity in these units, and submit a report once a week, unless there is a Covid-19 outbreak that must be reported immediately.

The Ministry added that the measure regarding the general public did not change, according to which masks should continue to be worn until further notice.

--IANS ksk/