Coronavirus – Non-essential stores to close in New York soon

Non-essential businesses will have to close and synagogues and other places of worship drastically reduce their number of worshipers for at least two weeks in New York neighborhoods where the spread of the coronavirus has resumed, the governor of New York said on Tuesday. Schools have already been closed.

These restrictions will apply no later than Friday in several areas of Brooklyn and Queens, said State Governor Andrew Cuomo. It is in these neighborhoods, several of which have a large Orthodox Jewish population, that the rate of Covid-19 positivity has increased sharply in recent weeks, often in favor of the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The governor therefore modified the reconfinement measures proposed Sunday by the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. The latter had not spoken of places of worship. It also provided for the closure of non-essential businesses on Wednesday.

24,000 dead

“Places of worship are the main places where important gatherings are held,” said Andrew Cuomo. “I know the subject is sensitive, but it’s the truth,” he added, as some critics accuse the restrictions of discriminating against the Jewish community.

The governor has decided to impose a limit of 10 people on places of worship located in the “red” zone, in the heart of these districts which have many synagogues sometimes welcoming hundreds of people every day. A limit of 25 people has been set for less heavily affected neighborhoods, in so-called “orange” areas, around red areas.

After being hit hard by the virus in the spring and mourning nearly 24,000 deaths, New York City managed for weeks to keep the spread of the virus low. But since September, the positivity rate has started to rise, to approach 9% in some neighborhoods.

ATS / NXP

Posted: 10/07/2020, 1:41 a.m.-