In a move that will no doubt come as a relief to Israel’s religious faithful, there will be no orders issued by government to mow down their mutton chops, or curtail their chin curtains.
Israeli authorities have asked the public to cover their mouths and noses in public, but this provides somewhat of a challenge to pious proponents of pogonotrophy; Jewish, Muslim and Christian groups in the country all wear beards as a sign of faith.
Health Ministry deputy director-general Itamar Grotto allayed the fears among moustachioed mullahs and ruffled rabbis alike, however.
“We are creating an industrial certification for masks, which means that in a few days there will really be masks of different sizes,” he told Army Radio.