There are several additional cases in Crown Heights since our previous update. Two of these involve individuals who came to Crown Heights from a hotspot state, did not quarantine, and then several days later they became ill and tested positive for COVID. They are now in isolation, and anyone who has been in contact with them during that time has been asked to quarantine.
This is very worrisome. Our elderly and vulnerable are attempting to resume some semblance of their normal lives, and they are relying on us to keep them safe. When individuals come to Crown Heights from places where COVID infections are on the increase, and are during the early phase of their illness (perhaps only feeling mildly symptomatic but not ill), and then shed infectious virus whilst going about “normal” activities in Crown Heights, they jeopardize the lives of those among us who are vulnerable and susceptible to the disease. This concern has been heightened recently by at least one case of reinfection, where a healthy individual who had recovered from COVID became reinfected 3 months later, and ill again. This takes away some of our earlier confidence in community immunity and raises the question of whether those who were ill around Purim may have over time become susceptible once more.
Please please do not visit Crown Heights unless necessary, and if one must come from a hotspot state and has no choice, then the law (fully supported by medical professionals and the Rabbonim) is that they must quarantine here for 14 days (which means staying home, not attending a minyan, where vulnerable individuals may daven, not going shopping, not visiting family, avoiding simchas, etc). We know this is inconvenient, and we hope that this dark time will be behind us very soon, but this is for the safety of all of us, particularly the vulnerable. These instructions equally apply to residents of Crown Heights who are returning from a stay in a hotspot region.
In a similar vein, if anyone has symptoms of the virus, please do get tested and isolate yourself until you receive the results, as laid out in our previous update. If you are tested in a clinic or elsewhere and test positive, and are unsure how to conduct yourself regarding isolation/quarantine, please contact your physician or email us at [email protected] and ensure that that you and your contacts get clear instructions.
In all the confusion one thing is clear – social distancing and mask use in close quarters reduces infections. Continue to act with safety first always.
If you have any new COVID symptoms, please fill out this survey: New COVID Symptoms
We are optimistic that whatever cases we are seeing now in Crown Heights are sporadic and possible to contain, and that we will not see a widespread resurgence of cases. However, we must do our part to protect one another and prevent even a single case, if it could be avoided by mindful behaviour. IYH may we continue to stand together as a community and stay safe and well.
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The Gedaliah Society, in conjunction with Dr. Rosen
Please please please don’t come to crown heights unless you must come, when you do come please please please please please quarantine for 2 weeks if you can’t do that which is understandable please don’t come to crown heights it’s not fair to the community. Also the rabbonim and doctors have asked that people should not be coming so please listen and be respectful.
It is interesting that so many people are asking not to come but, when Florida asked together with their rabonim not to come for pesach many people from New York including Crown Heights told Florida that you were coming anyways and did come and many people people were sick in Florida and spread the virus to others there. I think an apology is needed to be given to Florida since you all ignored them and are now asking for the same courtesy.
Wow okay…
Crown Heights apologizes to Florida mkay
It’s not the same people, and two wrongs don’t make a right. Both communities have the right to ask people not to travel. Unfortunately, individuals will do as they wish without putting thought into their actions. But it’s safe to assume that those who prefer to be cautious and ask people not to come to NY, are also not travelling outside NY.
Brooklyn,Miami,does not belong to your community.
If it was there will be like isreal only jews in the full crown heights or north Miami beach with no goyeshe neighbors.
You are asking not to come,you are allowed to ask,but no one is obligated to listen to you.
Those people who came to Florida pesach,still disagrees with this letter not to come to ch,they hold
You should be allowed to come to ch.
Crown heights did not listen and we went to Florida pessach
And Floridans did not listen and came to crown heights.
The rabbonim and the doctors agreed not to go to another state then.
Its the people of the community that went to Florida.
quarantine? noone who comes to CH from other places quarantines…and we know that to be true. they come the day of a simcha or the day before and then proceed to spread their germs everywhere…no masks no social distancing and no conscience at all about what they are doing. we need to say NO VISITORS AND MEAN IT. because otherwise they will come and there will be sickness among us
It says don’t visit if you are coming from hot spots. And that’s what the NYC & state authorities say at this time, as well as this letter. Not a whole blanket statement – don’t come
Those people that are coming for weddings one day why should they come early?
and even more some people are paying for a hotel, so should they pay crazy amounts for hotels instead of just paying one day?
Unfortunately I knew this would happen, we don’t know how to listen to the rules, how foolish and disgraceful. You have to do teshuva.
It’s not fair,crown heights as a community is good as long as people from our of town don’t come witch unfortunately people aren’ listening
This madness has to stop. Crown heights is not immune from the worldwide pandemic. Please, I beg all fellow crown heighters – wear a mask and don’t visit from a Covid hotspot. My parents and so much of the elderly are at risk. We have to do better and protect our own.
I think this falsely implies blame on “outsiders” entering the sealed bordered territory of Crown Heights and introducing the illness to our herd immunized community. We know so little about this new illness which we have only studied for 4 months. But we do know that testing results have been inaccurate. One cannot rely on testing results to assume they had the virus. We also know that having anti-bodies does not necessarily mean that one is immune from getting the virus. We also know that some people had the virus mildly, “recovered” and later it came back with a vengeance.… Read more »
yes! And what about the fact that there are other humans in Crown Heights besides us Yidden?! The cleaning ladies in our homes! The cleaners in our shuls! The “other” shoppers in our stores! The ones that pushed or pulled open the store door before us! We aren’t wearing gloves! The delivery people of food, mail, UPS…! The people that used the gas pump before us at the gas stations! The “others” in our community! Sure we can “blame” the visiting yid from Brazil or Florida, but who are we kidding? The visiting yid is of very small number. There… Read more »
There is a difference. Each case, each simcha has it’s unique circumstances.
No matter the reason you need to come to crown heights it’s not worth a life so stay home!!!
Fellow Community Members, The last update from Gedaliah Society should have been enough to impress upon you to act righteously and protect others! Some of us have been desperate to see our loved ones from out of town. Grandparents and grandchildren have been separated for months. We are STILL waiting! Meanwhile, shuls in CH are PACKED with almost NO ONE wearing a mask. Summer camps are open (legal ones and illegal ones) with teachers ignoring the rules and not wearing masks. Have the deaths and near-death conditions of our people done nothing to sway you? Why should those who follow… Read more »
that question the validity of these guidelines, that make excuses, that point fingers saying ‘nobody is listening, why should I?”….these voices are the awful NOISE that doesn’t allow you to hear the GOOD, SOUND medical and rabbinic advice.
Please, please don’t ask your own rov, Please, please listen to the guidelines of the rabbonim of this community who are the spokesmen, and who are issuing guidelines in cooperation with the Gedaliah Society/medical advisers.
We have people here coming from Brazil and Florida. Placing their kids in day camps, coming to shule etc. how are we to deal with this?
Those children should not be allowed in camp. Period. Until they’ve completed a 2 week quarantine.
As we are very concerned about the possibility of re infection, and as you posted a few times about 1 confirmed case of a healthy person who was re infected after testing positive for anti bodies, it would be very much appreciated if you can share some more details about his case. Is he OK? What symptoms did he have on the second time? And some other details. As we know that there are people who are coming and going and not complying with the rules, it will be really helpful to know some more details to be able to… Read more »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjh4WuV94VQ
The letter says there are “several” new cases but only two of those came from out of town. How many other people got sick and where did they catch it? All the details are important if we want to be able to protect ourselves.
I know a local young person who didn’t feel well last week and got tested. She has Corona virus. She hadn’t travelled. Does not know where it came from. Is isolating in Crown Heights. Her family had it originally. Be careful.
We and others, elderly and/or vulnerable are still sheltering in place and afraid to even go shopping. please wear masks and keep social distancing. this is far from over
Don’t come unless you are really holier than the beis din and smarter than the doctors and you absolutely must come to visit friends and family and take your kids to a camp bus with our kids and do some shopping and visit eateries. Hey even if you are coming from a hotspot we understand that you must know better so that is why there is no need for you to obey the quarantine…..
ChasVShalom don’t do this.
Let us make a Kiddish Hashem instead and obey the beis din and the doctors restrictions.
How does a person know if they were in contact if you don’t share where and when they have been???
I believe when they test positive the health department requests all the people they’ve been in contact with and contacts them to quarantine as well.
Do you know everyone who was in the market place last time you shopped there?
I keep seeing pictures online of lchaims with a parent who came from a hotspot state. STOP. JUST STOP. It’s selfish and irresponsible. Upsets me every time I see it, dont know how these people have no shame and feel no achrayus toward protecting others.
Anyone who is vulnerable, if they are Venturing our now SHOULD be wearing an N95 mask to protect themselves. I do not rely on others, people don’t follow rules. I can’t be at their mercy. Surgical masks do not protect you from the virus, N95 masks do. And it’s not necessary to go to a wedding in the middle of a pandemic.
Maybe we can start to raise money for those who cannot afford the n95 masks. Our lives matter and we should have masks for everyone even those who cant afford them
Why can’t it be like in Israel, where they say EXACTLY where the sick person went so we can see if we need to be careful. How is it helpful to say ppl are sick without saying where they davened, where their kids go to camp, etc etc.??????
U can’t control people, but many CH are out in Florida in vacation and other states, means reinfection is higher.
This is a community thing .. nothing official. Simply state places and times so ppl know.
There are many unknowns in this. But, for the love of god and people, just do it: Social distancing, restricted travel and wear mask.
You don’t have to stop living. You can go to work if you must. You can shop if you must. But keep your indoor activity to what’s necessary and with mask. Whether in CH, from CH, or anywhere else, COVID is not gone. It’s on earth, and for the foreseeable future will be here with us. Do not lax just because it’s invisible or quiet in your neighborhood.
Just Do It.
Residents come and go, visitors come and go. You could be exposed by anyone, a neighbor, a friend, the UPS driver, a fellow shopper, or a passerby on the street. I will wear a mask to protect you, and you need to wear a mask to protect me. Mask are only needed when you can not be socially distant, that means in stores, crowded sidewalks, and shuls. We are all vulnerable, not just the elderly. Better to be safe, since the virus is new and no one knows exactly what will happen next.
I would love be to hear Dr Rosens and Gedaliah society opinion on Dr Zelenko and his treatment and others going around social media the treatment of Taiwan etc….
Why don’t we hear from our doctors about that?
Please
why do you want to hear about treatments for covid? why would you not rather prevent yourself from getting sick by listening to the protocols and guidelines? when you are sick or when you infect someone else by not following protocols then you or they will then be informed of treatment.
Totally agree about this. Dr. Zelenko’s protocol should be used and publicized. It saves lives. It eliminates hysteria. It has been empirically and scientifically proven
it’s not a cureall and it is not an easy fix. people get sick and it is a roll of the dice whether this regimine of meds works for them. they can still have terrible reprecussions. WEAR YOUR MASK, SOCIALLY DISTANCE…THOSE ARE PROVEN TO WORK NOT THE MEDS
It doesn’t matter whether you already had the virus or not- you can still get reinfected and even if you dont know or dont have symptoms- you can still unknowingly spread it! Forget small lchaims and events- every time I see pictures on this website or another chabad news site in 770-MAJORITY of people do not have masks on! It takes no effort to just put one on! Oh, and if you travel to CH- only go for necessities and if coming from a hotspot state/area- QUARANTINE yourselves- I dont need to explain the benefits and repercussions of following/not following… Read more »
I know of other random cases in the community. People who have not traveled. Was just at a Crown Heights simcha of about 60 people. Me, my husband, and six others were wearing masks. It was uncomfortable. But bearable. Worth it to protect lives. We took our food out and ate it on the street. Three of the eight in masks were eldery. What is up with that?! I mean it. I’m seriously hoping someone who goes to events unmasked will explain their thinking. Why aren’t you masked? Some admittedly have no antibodies. I won’t attack respondents who reply. I… Read more »
I agree with Kop Doktar’s and Chosid’s comments above.
Read them!
That’s exactly what I wanted to say.