Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef has paskened that this year, because of the situation caused by CoronaVirus, people can be meikil and listen to music even though it is the days of Omer when we normally do not listen to music.

Rav Yosef was asked that with people in isolation, people stuck in their homes, some people being sick, people kept away from shuls and batei medrash, with everything closed up and sealed shut, and kept at home with the children. We have to keep the children busy and can play recorded music for them. Also, people feel the need to somewhat get rid of the pressure and even depression and loneliness. People want to know if all this pressure and trouble is a good reason to be allowed to listen to music.

Rav Yosef explains that not listening to music during Omer is not in the Shulchan Aruch. What it does say is that during these days we do not marry women, and from that we deduce that we do not do things that bring us to joy, and music is included in that.

Rav Yosef clarifies that vocals, aka a capella, is always allowed, every year, and definitely is allowed this year. Singing with your mouth was neever prohibited, as long as it does not lead to dancing (even not mixed :-) ). Poskim have allowed music this year. People in isolation feel it necessaty o have music as it is difficult to be alone for so long, and the music will make it a bit easier for him to cope.

Live music with instruments is not included in this leniency. Rav Yosef explicitly said that is not included and he is only referring to recorded music. Parents can play music for their children, to keep them busy and engaged.

As well, if a person is home with children, they get bored quickly and might drive their parents crazy.

Rav Yosef further qualifies that a strong healthy person who is not suffering should not be lenient in this. he could be lenient with vocals, a capella music and music that will not lead to dancing, but not with regular music.
source: Kikar

The critical situation around the world and in Israel has generated a number of interesting piskei halacha, some of which have already been posted here. Here is another one.

Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau has paskened that anybody who has had to postpone a scheduled wedding, due to the COVID-19 crisis, will be able to have the wedding during sefiras haomer, when it is normally customary to not have weddings. Rav Lau explained that he is allowing this as a one time allowance, not for future years. Also, it will only be allowed during parts of the Omer in which some communities allow weddings (as far as I know, that would allow the entire Omer, as each part of the Omer has some people allowing weddings).

Rav Lau explains that pushing off weddings is a very difficult and damaging thing. Rav Lau says he told people not to push off the chuppa but to hold a very small event with a small number of attendees and get married, and if necessary have a party later with the friends when the crisis blows over. He is still encouraging engaged couples to get married before the holiday. However, some cannot or will not, and the crunch time because of the Omer will cause too long a delay and therefore he has paskened to allow weddings during the Omer for affected couples.
sources: Kikar, Actualic

Israeli TV's Channel 1 news has been running a daily "sefirat ha'omer" clip of about 2-3 minutes with a daily explanation of some aspect or custom of sefirat ha'omer.

here is a sample video:


and another:


I think they are nice clips.

The "Yisrael Chofshit" organization has protested the airing of these clips, saying it is religious coercion and is insane that State TV is airing this.. as if the ayatollahs have taken over television. The focus was on one clip that discussed the customs of not performing weddings during [some of] the days of the Omer period, while most of the clips are more historical in nature and less "halachic".

Personally, even if they all contained some point in halacha or custom, I would see nothing wrong with State TV airing these clips. A very large portion of the citizens of Israel are religious or traditional, and there is nothing wrong, in my opinion, (as long as there is no separation of shul and State in Israel), with State TV dedicating a few minutes to a timely issue, even if it is religious in nature. State TV did not make demands of the populace to count, to refrain from getting their haircuts or whatnot - it just ran a clip explaining a timely custom. Some people will be interested in the 3 minute clip, and some people will not be interested and will suffer the 3 minutes of Jewish culture.

I don't see it as anything worthy of protest.

In the end, the head of Yisraelk Chofshit apologized, after being lambasted on the radio and "losing a debate", though he said he had not looked into the entire program but was especially upset about the specific clip that discussed the customs of refraining from marriage during that time period - and he should not have criticized the entire program.
source: Srugim

While the apology and retraction is a start, I disagree with him even on that point. Even on the clip explaining some of the halachic customs, there is nothing wrong with transmitting some Jewish culture and explanation to thousands of religious and traditional viewers. And maybe there are even some non-religious viewers who are interested in learning more about Jewish culture.

this is from last year, but relevant to every years sefirat haOmer.. and funny..



If you want interesting daily reminders for sefira, you can follow my twitter feed or friend me on Facebook. At some point during the night I post an interesting reminder, using the #countOmer hashtag

49 is:

• the total days of Omer
• the day you really don't want to miss
• the end of these posts
• tonight's Omer

 #CountOmer: today is 49 days being 7 weeks to the Omer

48 is:

• regulation NBA game
• State of Israel 
  
• Mahatma Gandhi
• one day left 
  
• ways to acquire Torah
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 48 days, being 6 weeks and 6 days to the Omer

47 is:

• silver
• titanium
• Ray Garraty (The Long Walk) 
• Kalashnikov
• Romans killed 10k Jews on Mount Tabor
• Partition Plan
• SS Exodus 
  
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 47 days, being 6 weeks and 5 days to the Omer

45 is:

• what?
• sapphire wedding anniversary
• ammunition caliber
• gramophone record 
• Itzhak Perlman born 
  
• Cesar defeated Pompey in Jerusalem
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 45 days, being 6 weeks and 3 days to the Omer

44 is:

Agent 44

• a hitters number (Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mccovey, etc)
• Wyoming
• a gun
• Get Smart 
• full set of Hanukka candles
• Hannah Szenes 
• Irgun declares revolt against British
• tonight's Omer 

executed in 1944

#CountOmer: today is 44 days, being 6 weeks and 2 days to the Omer

43 is:

• Anders Aliyah 
  
• Benny Begin born
• Shaul Tchernichovsky died
• Dennis Eckersley 
  
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 43 days, being 6 weeks and one day to the Omer

42 is:

• answer to universe (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
• Jackie Robinson 
• angle of rainbow
• Ron Kittle 
• marathon km
• Sid Luckman 
• Bruce Sutter 
• tonights Omer

#CountOmer: today is 42 days, being 6 weeks to the Omer

41 is:

• Brian Piccolo 
• Sir Roger Bannister 
  
• Dave Matthews song
• George HW Bush
• Montana
• Palmach was established
• tonight's Omer

#CountOmer: today is 41 days, being 5 weeks and 6 days to the Omer

40 is:

• Gayle Sayers 
  
• avg workweek hours
• avg term pregnancy
• Casey Kasem 
  
• yrs in desert
• Noahs flood
• mikva water
• tonight's Omer

 #CountOmer: today is 40 days, being 5 weeks and 5 days to the Omer

38 is:

• the parallel that was the boundary between North and South Korea
• snub nosed revolver 
  
• years the Israelites traveled from Kadesh barnea to Zered
• Alexandrian riots against Jews
• highway to Bet Shemesh
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 38 days, being 5 weeks and 3 days to the Omer

37 is:

• normal body temp in Celsius 
  
• the number most people say when asked for a random number between 0 & 100
• Herod's final siege of Jerusalem began 
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 37 days, being 5 weeks and 2 days to the Omer

yes, krypton is a real thing

36 is:

• atomic number of krypton 
• perfect ACT score
• beginning of 9th month
• Hannukah candles not including shamash
• tzaddikim
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 36 days, being 5 weeks and one day to the Omer

35 is:

• Tony Esposito 
  
• basic film for photography
• Herod had the High Priest (also his brother in law) Aristobulus III drowned
• convoy killed in '48 war while supplying Gush Etzion kibbutzim
• tonight's Omer

#CountOmer: today is 35 days, being 5 weeks to the Omer

34 is:

• Walter Payton 

  Sweetness would have counted Omer.. maybe..

• the year organized illegal Jewish immigration to Palestine began
• years of Herod rule after capturing Jerusalem
• tonight's Omer 

#CountOmer: today is 34 days, being 4 weeks and 6 days to the Omer

33 is:

• arsenic
• vertebrae of human spine
• Scottie Pippen 

  Scottie says you better remember to count Omer!

• miners trapped in 2010 accident
• Lag b'omer
• tonight's Omer

#CountOmer" today is 33 days, being 4 weeks and 5 days to the Omer

they probably counted Omer on Masada

31 is:

• Fergie Jenkins
• Greg Maddux
• Masada fortress completed 
• Aristobulos IV son of Herod died
• almost haircut time
• tonight's Omer

 #CountOmer: today is 31 days, being 4 weeks and 3 days to the Omer