The neighborhood of Ramot in Jerusalem, which has about 60,000 residents, may be placed into lockdown due to its high rate of coronavirus infections, Kikar H’Shabbos reported.
Currently, Ramot’s Rabbanim and askanim are engaging in strenuous efforts to avoid a lockdown and have had more than one emergency meeting with government officials in the past 24 hours.
“Ramot is on the way to a lockdown but the government and the Home Front Command has given us a last chance to decrease the infection rate so the neighborhood won’t be declared a “red zone,” one of the neighborhood askanim told Kikar H’Shabbat. “This can be done by the neighborhood Rabbanim and representative taking responsibility, by the evacuation of patients to coronavirus hotels and adherence to Health Ministry regulations.”
“We see what’s happening in other neighborhoods and cities that were put into lockdown. Not only did the infection rate fail to decrease but the situation has become chaotic. Therefore we request of residents: Take action and prevent the lockdown.”
Another Kikar H’Shabbot report on Tuesday said unless there’s a last-minute change, the lockdown on Beitar Illit will be extended for at least a week, according to a senior Health Ministry official.
The official told Kikar that the rate of infection in the city is still very concerning. “The lockdown is not a punishment but there are places where there is no choice. Beitar has the highest infection rate in the country so we don’t have a choice.”
Another ministry official told Kikar: “Even the Chareidi representatives – when they see the data – understand that there’s no choice.”
There have been over 130 new virus cases diagnosed in Beitar Illit in the past two days.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Wow! 130 in 2 days! And how many hospitalizations exactly? …..
Beitar is a city with nearly 65,000 people. 130 new cases is a lot because every life us precious but let’s not get carried away! Borough Park during Pesach had thousands of cases. It is not gloom and doom! May Hashem shower His people with His abundant rachmanut.
By the time they dither around a make a decision, it may be too late to avoid a more tragic outcome. Lock down, stay at home for several weeks except for essential food and drug shopping. Those with the virus should be taken to the so called virus hotels for isolation until the rate of infection has been reduced.
Gadol maybe you need to read up on this topic. These so-called cases are asymptomatic. That means they are not sick. You are picturing sick people. That’s not what’s going on. They took a molecular test which means a stick up the nose that found some trace of something that might be Covid19.
“So if we do a PCR corona test on an immune person, it is not a virus that is detected, but a small shattered part of the viral genome. The test comes back positive for as long as there are tiny shattered parts of the virus left. Correct: Even if the infectious viruses are long dead, a corona test can come back positive, because the PCR method multiplies even a tiny fraction of the viral genetic material enough [to be detected]…. It is likely that a large number of the daily reported infection numbers are purely due to viral debris.”
Dr. Beda M Stadler is the former director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Bern, a biologist and professor emeritus
I live in Ramot. People are pretty good about distancing in the street and wearing masks. In the shuls some are careful, some are not.
But to lock down Ramot? It will not help. Let the careful people be careful, and the foolish people be foolish and catch the virus.