An emergency meeting was held on Tuesday in Har Nof between local askanim and Home Front Command commanders in light of the high coronavirus infection rate in the neighborhood.

During the first wave, Har Nof was declared a “red zone” due to the high number of confirmed coronavirus carriers in the neighborhood. The number of infections subsequently decreased but there’s been a rise in the infection rate in the last two weeks and the Home Front Command has been considering locking down the neighborhood.

Har Nof Community Director Eli Weiser told Kikar H’Shabbat: “I met with Home Front commanders on Tuesday night…the main focus of the meeting was the high infection rate in the neighborhood relative to its population and what steps to take in order to prevent a lockdown. Currently, the data shows that there are three-four coronavirus carriers out of every 1,000 residents, and the rule is that a lockdown is imposed on every neighborhood that reaches five carriers per thousand people. The pace of infection [how many new infections are diagnosed each day] is also important and regarding this parameter, Har Nof is davka in a good place.”

The Home Front Commanders conducted a tour of the neighborhood and they were impressed by the residents’ adherence to the rules. However, in light of the high number of cases in the neighborhood, neighborhood askanim are stepping up efforts to encourage residents to step up full compliance with health regulations.

The Home Front Command is involved in making decisions about which areas in Israel require closures. Another Har Nof askan explained: “Home Front Command soldiers are responsible for evacuating patients for quarantine in coronavirus hotels and assisting every patient who requests to be evacuated. They also arrange the food for the hotels, including food with a Badatz hechsher for [Chareidi patients].”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)