PALM TREE, NY (VINnews/Sandy Eller) – Hours after the Orange County Health commissioner slapped a violations notice on Kiryas Joel’s main synagogue, the village’s Office of Emergency Management COVID-19 Special Team issued a page long bulletin calling for vigilance in pandemic-related restrictions as Rosh Hashana approaches.
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The cease and desist order signed by Orange County Commissioner of Health Irina Gelman
Warned of potential criminal prosecution that could occur should Congregation Yetev Lev D’Satmar fail to abide by public health law during future gatherings. In her warning, Commissioner Gelman stated that the county was responding to reports that the congregation had been operating above the 50 percent capacity limit mandated in an executive order issued by Governor Andrew Cuomo’s. Also noted was a failure to adhere to social distancing protocols and wearing of masks when appropriate, a situation that “endangers those inside the Congregation and those they come in contact with.”
Thousands of people attended This mornings 1st day of “Peaceful #Slichos prayer demonstration” with Satmar Grand Rebbe Aron in the main Shul of the Town of 🌴Palm Tree 🌴in Kiryas Joel, the newly constructed wing with additional space for hundreds of seats was inaugurated today. pic.twitter.com/iFljHrDMLS
— Satmar Headquarters (@HQSatmar) September 13, 2020
The order from the health department comes four days after the Satmar Headquarters Twitter account posted pictures of the crowded interior of the synagogue during Selichos services, describing the gathering as a peaceful prayer demonstration and the inauguration of a new wing built to accommodate hundreds of additional worshippers. It stopped short of any immediate punitive action, warning instead that “willful violation of the Governor’s Executive Orders may subject you to criminal prosecution” and urged the congregation and its members to immediately comply with the executive order.
While the order noted that more than 11,00 COVID cases have been confirmed in Orange County, that statistic encompasses New York State data dating back to the beginning of the pandemic. Orange County Director of Communication Justin Rodriguez told VIN News that 231 of those cases had been diagnosed over the last two weeks.
In addition to calling for social distancing, masks and frequent hand washing, the Office of Emergency Management urged residents to avoid shaking hands with others. It also counseled older individuals and individuals with underlying health issues, particularly those who do not have antibodies, to be extremely vigilant and to attend smaller Rosh Hashana prayer services that would allow for greater social distancing.
The pandemic brought another significant change to Kiryas Joel for the upcoming holiday, with a September 12th letter from Congregation Yetev Lev announcing that Grand Rabbi Rabbi Aron Teitelbaum would remain in the village for Rosh Hashana because of COVID, a break in his longstanding tradition of spending the holiday in Williamsburg.
Just have a few more patrol cars in the area. If the state has fines for people who violate the rules, fine each and everyone.
greayt
Who is going to follow up the enforcement? They are ALWAYS breaking the rules. Who is going to make sure they don’t move to another location and not wear mask or social distancing?
What is the heter to have such a big crowd?
Corona seems to no longer be a pikuach nefesh issues.
In the thousands of corona cases diagnosed in the last weeks and months in our communities, a tiny, tiny percentage have been serious and even less have gone to Hospital.
All these crazy Government restrictions are only delaying the fact that everyone or at least 80% of the population will be infected with Covid-19.
If you are old or medically impaired it may be needed for you to quarantine. BUT for the general populations its not dangerous to be infected. Yes – it will be a bad flu but not integrally dangerous for healthy people in 99.9% of cases.
We do cross the street. We all get the flu although it kills 60,000 pple a year !
We have to live our lives and continue living.
It doesn’t hurt to wear a mask that way if there is a person who is sick you have some protection and you avoid a chillul HASHEM
Who could stop satmar? Nobody! They ll gladly pay the fine and get going!