Following assessments and consultations held throughout the day on Wednesday at the Ministry of Health, it was decided that those returning to Israel from Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights will not be permitted to travel to their homes for isolation, but would be transported directly from the plane to isolation in one of the “coronavirus hotels” that have been prepared around the country.
According to the Chabad.info website, the Health Ministry has held over the past 24 hours assessments regarding the return of the men from 770 to Israel together with Chabad rabbis and Chabad leaders in Israel, as well as with Badatz Crown Heights and the management of the yeshiva in 770.
At the conclusion of the assessment, and given that the coronavirus outbreak in New York is so high, the Health Ministry decided that all men returning from Crown Heights would not be allowed to travel to their home for isolation, but would be transferred to one of the buildings prepared by the Health Ministry and the Home Front Command, where they would stay in isolation in separate rooms for two weeks.
Earlier it was decided to close the Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in New York following the spread of the coronavirus, and after many residents of Crown Heights became infected with the deadly virus.
With the deterioration of the situation in the neighborhood as more and more cases of coronavirus patients are discovered, the neighborhood rabbis decided on the drastic step that has never been taken before, to avoid danger to life.
What is waiting for #israelis at #TLV#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/cQ2VsCRw3c
— Israel Scholte (@IsraelScholte) March 19, 2020
All the people on the plane with them?
They singled out the bochurim. It is all because of the media coverage about the frum communities on NYC going on with life as usual.
According to the current restrictions, they must enter quarantine for 14 days as well. They are likely able to go home, bit they must enter self-quarantine from there.
The other people will go home and self quarantine. The bochurim are deemed untrustworthy to follow the instructions and for the safety of everyone in Israel, they will be quarantined under surveillance.
If you want to be trusted, you have to be trustworthy.
Why don’t they test them first?
This is a gross violation of due process. They are putting people into solitary confinement for two weeks without any evidence that they committed a crime. This is not okay for a free country. Israel should not learn from their neighbors. This is totalitarian.
then the test will come back negative even if they have it. So there’s no point in testing them.
As for the due process of law, even in the USA with our strict protection of civil liberties, the courts have repeatedly upheld quarantine laws. Due process in this case would mean that if testing were feasible they would be entitled to a test, and to be let go if they’re negative. But since it isn’t feasible it’s not necessary.
Anyone returning from abroad has to quarantine for 14 days…
Because anyone coming from Crown Heights should consider themselves that they have it.
Leave them in quarantine.Keep us and Israel safe. Rules are not for them.