Noma: "We detect worrying indifference among the Haredim, there are legends about herd vaccinations""

December 8, 2020   

The head of the Haredi desk, Maj. Gen. (res.) Roni Noma, held a media briefing today (Tuesday), during which he addressed the morbidity data in the Haredi sector, the chances of another lockdown, the possibility of imposing a nightly curfew, and the outline of the capsules in the yeshiva world. What is a “shared car price list”? How will the prices be displayed in the price list? All the details ""The positive trend in the ultra-Orthodox sector has been halted, and in the last two weeks there has been a certain increase. We are seeing an increase in neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Elad. Although not a dramatic increase, it is certainly present, with 81% of the patients detected yesterday coming from the ultra-Orthodox sector, with 4.7% of positive tests among those tested in the ultra-Orthodox sector, compared to 2.8% for the national average." Noma also referred to the number of tests conducted in the ultra-Orthodox sector, which is significantly lower than the general sector: "There is general complacency, even in the ultra-Orthodox public, and therefore there is a decrease in the number of tests. If the general sector conducts about 72 tests per 10,000 people, in the ultra-Orthodox public there are only 26 tests for the same figure of ten thousand people." However, Noma added: "When you look at the national average of hospitalizations and mortality, the ultra-Orthodox public still ranges between the average and a little less." According to Noma, "The majority of infections in the Haredi sector are in households, but one of the clear centers of infection is at weddings. There are also cases of infection in educational institutions, but very few, even below average. We also know of cases of infection on public transportation due to passengers boarding without a mask, and only after that do synagogues arrive, some of which do not follow the instructions." The head of the Haredi desk also addressed the capsule scheme in the yeshiva world, saying that he sees no reason to change the operation of the scheme: "There is adherence also in yeshivahs, but these numbers and scopes are much lower than in Elul. Currently, over 260 yeshivahs are supervised by the Administrative Council, which administers the scheme, and there are other yeshivahs that operate according to the scheme but are not supervised by the Administrative Council. "When a yeshivah student receives a positive result and the yeshivah in which he studied is subject to the Administrative Council's supervision, we have control over this, and therefore he is not counted as part of the community in the city in which he lives or within the authority, but someone who studies in a yeshiva that is not under supervision is definitely counted as part of the community and authority from which he comes." Noma noted that "there is a mechanism here that is improving from time to time, and at the moment when we talk about an effort to keep the entire education system open, we think in the long term that there is no reason not to continue studies according to this format.". He referred to the expected departure of the yeshiva world for the Hanukkah holiday: "We are making an effort to ensure that no one leaves the yeshiva without being tested, and the dozens of confirmed cases that are currently there are not leaving the yeshiva. A guy who is not recovering needs a test to go home." On the mass infections: "There is already an increase in morbidity right now, and this is even before Hanukkah and even before the gatherings, so we are looking for steps that will be effective without a complete lockdown. A nightly lockdown is a tool that is debatable regarding its effectiveness. There is no attempt to act against a specific sector, but rather to prevent gatherings that exist in many places. Today it was announced that Gur Hasidic intends to light candles, and I think this is a good example. We certainly hope for cooperation from the leaders, in order to prevent the gatherings and the continued spread of the disease." Regarding the claim that the health system marked the Jewish holidays, Noma replied: "I am aware of this feeling, I read the newspapers in the morning, I talk to people, I don't know how to argue with this feeling. I know how to contribute information from the discussions, we did not mark the public, there is currently an increase in morbidity and it needs to be dealt with. I do not share that someone marked the Haredi public, I do not hear or see it." Towards the end, he warned against complacency: "We recognize complacency in the entire public and, among other things, in the Haredi sector. There are stories and legends about herd immunity and there is of course complacency due to the hope for vaccines. It is important to clarify that even when there is a herd vaccine, people can still get infected. I urge everyone to treat the mask, just as they treat the dome, I urge the public to be careful with ventilation - open windows in closed spaces." In this context, Noma mentioned the halachic ruling published in the name of Rabbi Zilberstein that even in winter, windows should be left open in the hospital, even if someone claims to be cold. "The length of stay is also very significant. Try to shorten the stay as much as possible - these are guidelines that provide us with protection against infection.".