Police officers in Israel have been told not to enforce mask-wearing outdoors despite the fact that it still mandated by law, Channel 13 News reported on Monday. Officers have been instructed not to focus on mask-wearing at all and instead concentrate on enforcing quarantine rules. Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash said on Monday that a discussion on ending the mask mandate will be held after Pesach. “Wearing masks is far less important in open spaces,” he explained. “But it important for people in groups and closed spaces.” Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Chezy Levy struck a more cautious tone on the issue, telling Army Radio on Monday that mask-wearing will continue to be required due to the 2.5 million children and 1 million adults in Israel who are still unvaccinated.

A joint WHO-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,” according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press. The findings were largely as expected and left many questions unanswered, but the report provided in-depth detail on the reasoning behind the team’s conclusions. The researchers proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis. The report’s release has been repeatedly delayed, raising questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew the conclusions to prevent blame for the pandemic falling on China.

Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have recovered from COVID-19 and returned to their regular duties on Tuesday, three weeks after they had tested positive for the coronavirus, the president’s office said. According to the statement, Syria’s first couple had their PCR tests and the results were negative, and the mild symptoms of the virus that they had experienced before were now gone. Assad, 55, and his wife, Asma, who is 10 years younger and had announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, had isolated themselves since testing positive on March 8. Later Tuesday, Assad’s office said the president headed a Cabinet meeting, his first public appearance in weeks. Syria is witnessing a sharp increase in cases.

On Monday morning, the first day of Chol Hamoed in Israel and exactly a year after the Chareidi sector in Israel was amid the worst coronavirus outbreak in the country and the city of Bnei Brak entered its first lockdown, the Health Ministry confirmed 128 new coronavirus patients, with only one of those cases from the Chareidi sector. Furthermore, the positivity rate in the Chareidi sector is only 0.8%, while the rate in the general population has decreased to 1.5%. The reproduction or R number in the general population in Israel had dropped to 0.55% in the general population and it stands at 0.44% in the Chareidi sector. All Chareidi cities, including Bnei Brak, Beitar Illit, Modiin Illit, Elad, Rechasim, Emanuel and Telzstone, continue to be “green,” with very low infection rates.

Israel’s coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash said earlier this week that he’s not expecting a fourth wave of the coronavirus but mask-wearing will continue to be mandatory for the time being. However, Ash added that health officials will be on the alert over the next few weeks due to fears that Pesach and then Ramadan will lead to an increase in the infection rate. He warned that everyone needs to be responsible and continue adhering to guidelines during these times. “Unfortunately, from what I have seen, people often fail to follow the regulations… and it’s a shame,” Ash said.

Can I take painkillers before or after a COVID-19 vaccine? Don’t take them before a shot to try to prevent symptoms, but if your doctor agrees, it’s OK to use them afterward if needed. The concern about painkillers is that they might curb the very immune system response that a vaccine aims to spur. Vaccines work by tricking the body into thinking it has a virus and mounting a defense against it. That may cause temporary arm soreness, fever, muscle aches or other symptoms of inflammation — signs the vaccine is doing its job. Some research suggests that certain painkillers including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and other brands) might diminish the immune system’s response. A study on mice suggests these drugs might lower production of antibodies, which block the virus from infecting cells.

In the desert northeast of Las Vegas, residents living along the Nevada-Arizona border would gather on their front porches for bomb parties or ride horses into the fields to watch as the U.S. government conducted atomic tests during a Cold War-era race to build up the nation’s nuclear arsenal. About 100 of those tests were aboveground, and U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona testified during a congressional subcommittee hearing Wednesday that residents at the time marveled at the massive orange mushroom clouds billowing in the distance. “They had no idea. They were never told that they were being exposed to dangerous cancer-causing radiation,” Stanton said.

A team of international and Chinese scientists is poised to report on its joint search for the origins of the coronavirus that sparked a pandemic after it was first detected in China over a year ago — with four theories being considered, and one the clear frontrunner, according to experts. The lengthy report is being published after months of wrangling, notably between U.S. and Chinese governments, over how the outbreak emerged, while scientists try to keep their focus on a so-far fruitless search for the origin of a microbe that has killed over 2.7 million people and stifled economies worldwide. It wasn’t immediately clear when the report will be released after its publication was delayed earlier this month.

Israel’s Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, a task force run by the IDF, said that preliminary reports show that the coronavirus vaccine may alleviate symptoms of “long-COVID.” “Preliminary reports indicate that those who suffer from persistent symptoms even after their recovery [from COVID-19] are reporting a significant improvement in their condition after receiving a vaccine dose,” the report stated. Israel’s Health Ministry has recommended that those who recovered from COVID-19 be vaccinated with a single dose.

UK Jews will not be legally allowed to celebrate Pesach Sedarim with extended family members this year, the second year in a row that Pesach will be celebrated during a lockdown. “It’s very painful for us,” Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis told the PA news agency. “It is very difficult.” People will be celebrating “in a pretty lonely way” for the second year in a row, Rabbi Mervis said. “But we respect the regulations that are given to us and preservation of life must be the top priority, and always acting in a legal way, respecting the Government’s wishes. This is our top priority.” Lockdown restrictions in the UK will begin to be lifted on March 29, the second day of Pesach, with two families or a group of six allowed to congregate outdoors. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)