New CDC Limit on Crowds Restricts Pesach Seders

By COLlive reporter

You may have to rethink your Pesach plans…

New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is calling to limit all large events and mass gatherings in an effort to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The new restriction issued on Sunday, March 15, called to cancel conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies.

“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities,” they wrote.

The CDC recommended that for the next 8 weeks, organizers (whether groups or individuals) cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.

“Events of any size should only be continued if they can be carried out with adherence to guidelines for protecting vulnerable populations, hand hygiene, and social distancing,” they stressed.

The CDC said this recommendation is made in an attempt to reduce the introduction of the virus into new communities and to slow the spread of infection in communities already affected by the virus.

The new regulation casts yet another shadow on Pesach plans that families and communities have already set in place with the 8-day holiday less than a month away.

Institutions, such as Chabad centers across the country, will have to rethink their Community Pesach Seder which can typically draw a crowd between 30 to 250 people.

“People are asking us about the Seder but we don’t know yet what to do,” one Shliach told COLlive.com. “Some people in our community rely on us for the Seder and without it, won’t be making one on their own.”

The Shliach said that for now, he is encouraging as many people to host a Seder in their home with the help of Chabad’s material and Shmura Matzah.

The pandemic will limit the number of guests that Jewish families – of all affiliations – typically host. Elderly parents, who face a higher risk of being infected by the virus, may prefer to stay home without mingling with the grandchildren.

Another aspect are the families that were planning to spend the holiday at one of the “Pesach Programs” held in luxury hotels with fully catered kosher meals and a packed schedule of lectures and shows.