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Israel Dispatches Passover Essentials to Jewish Community in Egypt

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Israel’s Foreign Ministry launched a joint initiative with the Israeli Embassy in Cairo and Jewish organizations to provide the Jewish community in Egypt with the essentials that will enable them to celebrate Passover properly.

Israel over the past week transferred matzos and kosher food to members of the Jewish communities in Cairo and Alexandria.

Transferring the parcels to Egypt involved a complex operation because of the severe restrictions on cross-border movement due to the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said that “even in the harsh realities of the global Corona crisis, we do not forget our Jewish brothers in the small Jewish community in Egypt, and I am glad that we are helping them celebrate Passover this year.”

“The connection to Jewish communities throughout the world is a key part of the work of Israeli diplomats in the Foreign Ministry and in our representations throughout the world,” he added.

The Jewish population of Egypt was estimated to number 100 people in 2018 by Professor Sergio Della Pergol

 

In other developments, Israel’s Police on Monday raided a mosque in Lod and a few synagogues in Jerusalem that were hosting groups of worshippers who congregated in contravention of a law banning such gatherings to stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVIS-19).

In its activities to enforce the emergency regulations and public health orders, the police arrived on Monday morning at a mosque in the Neve Yarak neighborhood of Lod and found seven worshipers praying there in contravention of the regulations.

The police found two worshipers hiding in the mosque’s bathroom.

The worshipers were dispersed and received fines, and the prayer organizer was fined and was detained for questioning at the police station.

In Jerusalem, the police raided two synagogues in the Bucharim neighborhood and found some 30 worshippers inside each. All adults were fined NIS 500 for breaking the law.

In Ashkelon, the police slapped a store owner who opened her shop in breach of the law with a NIS 5,000 fine. The police had previously warned the store owner not to open shop and fined her after discovering she did not heed their warning. (Tazpit Press Service)

 

 

Millions Going to Holocaust Survivors for Coronavirus Help

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(AP)

Millions of dollars in additional funds are being made available to agencies around the world that provide aid to Holocaust survivors, whose advanced age and health issues makes them particularly vulnerable to the new coronavirus, the organization that handles claims on behalf of Jewish victims of the Nazis announced Monday.

The New York-based Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany said Monday the $4.3 million in initial funding would be made available to agencies around the world providing care for some 120,000 survivors.

The emergency funding includes 200,000 euros ($215,000) from the Alfred Landecker Foundation, established last year by one of Germany’s richest families, whose assets include Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, as a way to help atone for its use of forced laborers during the Nazi era and support of Adolf Hitler’s regime.

All survivors are elderly, with the end of World War II now 75 years in the past, and many suffered from illness, malnutrition and other deprivations either at the hands of the Nazis or as they hid from them, which continues to affect their health today.

There are no statistics yet as to how many Holocaust survivors have been infected by the new coronavirus, but Israel’s first reported COVID-19 fatality was 88-year-old survivor Aryeh Even, and about a third of the elderly population in Israel are survivors, according to the Claims Conference.

“The coronavirus pandemic is a frightening time for Holocaust survivors as this is a population, like many elderly, that already tends to experience too much social isolation,” said Claims Conference President Julius Berman. “The social isolation caused by this health crisis can take a serious emotional toll which, if unchecked can lead to physical ailments.”

The additional funds will be used to “address critical gaps” in providing survivors help with home care, food, medicine and other assistance as it is needed.

It is in addition to approximately $350 million in direct compensation the Claims Conference is providing to more than 60,000 survivors in 83 countries this year, and some $610 million in grants to more than 300 social service agencies.

The Claims Conference is also providing advances of previously committed funds and taking other steps to help the agencies that support survivors. (AP)

Cuomo & de Blasio Believe Ventilator Situation OK For Time Being.

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NY has enough ventilators for now, according to reports by the mayor and governor.

“We have bought a few more days here,” Hizzoner said during a City Hall press briefing on Sunday afternoon.  “We believe now we can get to Tuesday or Wednesday with the supplies we have.”

“It’s good in one way that the original projection was cautious and that we have a few more days,” he said. “But I want to be clear, it only means a few more days, nothing more I can guarantee beyond that.”

Governor Cuomo noted on Monday:  intensive care patients were at 4,504, up only 2 percent from 4,376 on Sunday. The day-over-day increase, 128, was the smallest in at least two weeks. Last week, the number of people in intensive care beds, which have ventilators, was growing by more than 300 people a day.

In a notable shift from previous weeks, when he pleaded for more ventilators from the federal government and other states, he said New York was now adequately stocked.

“We don’t need any additional ventilators right now,” he said.

NY Post reported: The mayor had previously warned that Sunday was “D-Day” with diagnoses rising and not enough ventilators to go around, but the city was able to get ahead of the curve, if only for a few days.

Last week after 2 weeks of Cuomo being worried about ventilator shortages it was revealed that New York state has 2,200 ventilators in its stockpile, enough for about six days at the “current burn rate” during the . This was on Thursday, before the percentage of ICU patients dropped.

As of press the other promising news is that 16,837 coronavirus patients are hospitalized up only 2 percent from 16,837. It was the third straight day of single-digit percentage growth, after a long period when hospitalizations were growing 20 to 30 percent a day.

Mr. Cuomo said the data suggested that the spread of the virus in New York was nearing its apex, but he emphasized that the state remained in a dire, unsustainable state of emergency.

“If we are plateauing, we are plateauing at a very high level and there is tremendous stress on the health care system,” Cuomo said.

De Blasio speaking on medical gowns and other equipment on Monday said ““It is is inspiring to see how quickly people figured out a way to do something that was needed and not just do it in a small way but do it in a very big way, and to pull together the talent, the designs, to pull together all the equipment they needed, all the fabric. I was just hearing how much it took to improvise this and create this, and it’s very very moving.

 

As NY Runs out of Burial Space, Rumors fly as to Where Covid-19 Victims will be Temporarily Buried

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Jared Evan

If the death rate from the novel coronavirus doesn’t drop soon, New York City could start digging trenches in a city park to temporarily bury the bodies of those who have died from COVID-19, a city councilman said Monday in a grim tweet  which shocked New Yorkers.

“This likely will be done by using a NYC park for burials (yes you read that right),” Mark Levine, the chair of the New York city council health committee tweeted.

Trenches will be dug for 10 caskets in a line. It will be done in a dignified, orderly — and temporary — manner. But it will be tough for NYers to take.”

He added: “The goal is to avoid scenes like those in Italy, where the military was forced to collect bodies from churches and even off the streets.”

In a follow-up tweet, Levine clarified that the park burials were a “contingency plan” that would not have to be implemented if the death rate drops enough to not be necessary.

Officials are apparently running as far away as possible from Councilman Levine’s idea.

“I’ve heard a lot of wild rumors, but I’ve heard nothing about the city burying people in parks,” Cuomo said during his daily press conference on Monday.

De Blasio did not seem to know about this bizarre plan to bury people in public parks either.

The WSJ reported: New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday that, due to the hundreds of people dying daily from the novel coronavirus, officials may resort to “temporary burials” to deal with the strain placed on mortuary services and funeral homes.

The mayor was reluctant to go into much detail about the city’s plan for such burials, saying only that they were prepared to deal with the grim prospect of burying covid-19 victims where they could later be tracked and removed for burial elsewhere once the crisis has passed.

Historically Hart’s Island or “Potter’s field” has been used for people who are too poor to afford a burial, and that location would seem like a logical place to use for temporary burials however the mayor mentioned no specific locations.

Shortly after Levine’s tweet and de Blasio’s tight lipped press conference an outlet called the US Sun reported:   a source from NYC Mayor de Blasio’s office told  the Sun  that parks will not be used for burials, but the City has used  Hart’s Island  in the past and could do so again amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Hart’s Island is close to the Bronx and already has 1 million poor New Yorkers from decades upon decades buried.

 

After Several Mix-ups Trump Will Allow Empty USNS Comfort to Treat Corona Patients

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A Navy spokeswoman told the N.Y Post Multiple coronavirus patients were mistakenly transferred from New York’s Javits Center to the Navy hospital ship Comfort on Friday, according to Fox News, citing three US officials.

These mix-ups apparently prompted a sudden change as NJ Governor Murphy tweeted: President Trump has approved a request for the naval hospital ship the Comfort to treat New Jersey patients, The Hill reported

The 1,000-bed US Navy ship, which docked at Pier 90 on Manhattan’s West Side after its arrival Monday, is intended for non-COVID-19 patients only.

Until Friday, Javits Center was only treating non-coronavirus cases until President Trump – at NY Governor Andrew Cuomo’s request – authorized the facility to bring on COVID-19 patients. This meant that the existing patients at Javits – a few dozen – had to be transferred to Comfort some 10 blocks away. The ship is only supposed to treat trauma patients, not those infected with coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus patients on board Comfort is “less than five,” according to one official. Of note, the patients had initially screened as negative for the virus, while up to half of those infected with coronavirus show no symptoms, according to new data. Now there will be NJ Codid-19 victims.

The top general leading the coronavirus response for the U.S. military told Fox News there was another COVID-19 patient who showed up to the hospital ship Comfort in New York earlier Saturday after being delivered by ambulance. The patient later that a “few” patients did test positive after arriving at the ship, but only while still isolated from the non-COVID-19 patients on board.

“They were isolated immediately upon arrival and received care for the entirety of their time aboard the ship” before being transferred to the Javits Center, which is now treating COVID-19 patients, said the spokeswoman, Lt. Marycate Walsh.

The Comfort in general has around 20 patients’ period while having 1000 beds.  A tangle of military protocols and bureaucratic hurdles has prevented the Comfort from accepting many patients at all, the NY Times reported.

The Times explained:  Guidelines disseminated to hospitals included a list of 49 medical conditions that would exclude a patient from admittance to the ship.

Ambulances cannot take patients directly to the Comfort; they must first deliver patients to a city hospital for a lengthy evaluation — including a test for the virus — and then pick them up again for transport to the ship.

 

Coronavirus Compensation? Assessing China’s Potential Culpability and Avenues of Legal Response

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In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping talks by video with patients and medical workers at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. China's president visited the center of the global virus outbreak Tuesday as Italy began a sweeping nationwide travel ban and people worldwide braced for the possibility of recession. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP)

By Matthew Henderson, Dr Alan Mendoza, Dr Andrew Foxall, James Rogers, and Sam Armstrong

Global lawsuits against China for “patent breaches” of the International Health Regulations over its handling of COVID-19 could run to at least £3.2 trillion (3,913,808,000,000  US) from just the nations of the G7, according to a newly released report.

The report claims that the Chinese government’s early handling of the disease and failure to adequately report information to the WHO breached Articles Six and Seven of the International Health Regulations [IHRs], a Treaty to which China is a signatory and legally obliged to uphold.  These breaches allowed the outbreak to rapidly spread outside Wuhan, its place of origin.

In particular, our research has discovered that the Chinese government:
  • Failed to disclose data that would have revealed evidence of human-to-human transmission for a period of up to three weeks from being aware of it, in breach of Articles six and seven of the IHRs.
  • Provided the WHO with erroneous information about the number of infections between 2 January 2020 and 11 January 2020, in breach of Articles Six and Seven of the IHRs.
  • Failed to proscribe avoidable vectors of lethal zoonotic (animal-originated) viral infection, instead actively promoting the massive proliferation of dangerous viral host species for human consumption in breach of Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.
  • Allowed 5 million people (roughly equivalent to the size of The San Francisco Metropolitan Area, CA or Greater Boston, MA in the USA, and roughly five times the size of a city the size of Birmingham, UK) to leave Wuhan before imposing the lockdown on 23 January 2020 despite knowledge of human-to-human transmission.

The minutes of the UK’s scientific advisory group on new and emerging viral threats record how the lack of information delayed the response to the virus including the lack of travel screening, according to an outline in the report.  A University of Southampton study has previously found that — should strict quarantine measures have been introduced three weeks earlier — the disease’s spread would have been reduced by some 95%.

As a result of the breaches of international law, the report assesses that potential damages liable against China at the time of writing could run to £3.2 ($4) trillion from just the G7 nations.  The UK is said to have a claim worth a potential £351 billion ($449 billion) in damages based on formally announced government spending.  Using the same methodology, the US meanwhile could claim £933.3 billion ($1,200 billion), Canada £47.9 billion ($59 billion), and Australia £29.9 billion ($37 billion). The report utilises formally announced spending as of 5th April 2020, rather than total projected spending over the entire duration of the crisis – which is expected to be far greater – as the latter figure will not be known for several months.

Acknowledging the difficulties in securing international justice, the report offers ten different potential legal avenues for action against China across domestic and international jurisdictional venues.  While many of these enforce treaties other than IHRs, the report argues that public international lawyers might — as has previously been done — make use of relevant clauses in order to uphold international norms.   The Henry Jackson Society’s recommendations include making use of the International Court of Justice; Permanent Court of Arbitration; Hong Kong Courts; dispute resolutions through Bilateral Investment Treaties; and actions at the WTO.

The Chinese Communist Party has learnt no lessons from its failure in the SARS epidemic of 2002-3.Their repeated blunders, lies and disinformation, from the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, have already had far more deadly consequences.

This report apportions no blame to the people of China for what has happened.  They are innocent victims, like the rest of us. This is the fault of the CCP.  

How this will translate into practice, time will tell. By computing the cost of damage caused to advanced economies and assembling a series of possible legal processes to which the rules-based order can have recourse, we offer a sense of how the free world might seek recompense for the appalling harm the CCP has done.”

READ FULL REPORT HERE   

Visit the Think tank that provided this report https://henryjacksonsociety.org/ 

 

New York-Coronavirus Update; Cuomo: “If we are plateauing, we are plateauing at a very high level”

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  • Deaths in New York State: 4,758, up 599 from 4,159 on Sunday morning.

  • Confirmed cases: 130,689, up from 122,031 in New York. In New York City, 72,181, up from 67,551.

  • Hospitalized in New York State: 16,837, up 2 percent from 16,479 on Sunday. It was the third straight day of single-digit percentage growth, after a long period when hospitalizations were growing 20 to 30 percent a day.

  • In intensive care: 4,504, up 2 percent from 4,376 on Sunday. The day-over-day increase, 128, was the smallest in at least two weeks. Last week, the number of people in intensive care beds, which have ventilators, was growing more than 300 people a day, driving projections that the state would soon run out of ventilators.

  • New York governor Andrew Cuomo said the state may be starting to hit the apex of its coronavirus crisisBut the governor extended the state’s “stay at home” order until April 29, emphasizing that this is not the time to be lax about social distancing guidelines.
  • “If we are plateauing, we are plateauing at a very high level and there is tremendous stress on the health care system,” he said. And he added that it remained extremely important for New Yorkers to abide by rules on social distancing. He called the failure to do so “unacceptable,” and said that the nice weather over the weekend had tempted far too many people into lax behavior.
  • Cuomo doubled the fine for violating the “stay at home” orderThe governor said he has seen an alarming “laxness” toward social distancing guidelines in recent days and urged residents against engaging in “reckless” behavior that could endanger someone else’s life.
  • Cuomo is asking Trump to allow the Navy hospital ship Comfort to start receiving coronavirus patientsThe hospital ship, which arrived in New York Harbor last week, was originally supposed to take non-coronavirus patients, but the ship has received few patients because there have not been many non-coronavirus cases since the crisis started. Cuomo said he would ask the president to allow the hospital ship to start accepting coronavirus patients to relieve pressure on New York’s overwhelmed emergency rooms
  • “We don’t need any additional ventilators right now”

QUOTE: “Have we saved everyone?” he said. “No. But have we lost anyone because we didn’t have a bed or we didn’t have a ventilator, or we didn’t have health care staff? No.”

Following Continued Advocacy by Rose, State Department Designates Foreign White Supremacist Group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization for First Time in History

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Following continued leadership by Congressman Max Rose, Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, in highlighting the threats posed by foreign, violent white supremacist groups and the need to designate them as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), the U.S. Department of State today designated a foreign white supremacist group, the Russian Imperial Movement (RIM), along with three of its leaders, as a FTO for the first time in history.

“As Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Congressman Max Rose has been the leading voice in calling for violent foreign white supremacists to be labeled as the terrorists that they are,” said a spokesperson for Rose, who is currently deployed with the National Guard to help with Staten Island’s coronavirus response. “Congressman Rose has continued to publicly make the case that making such an historic designation was merited, necessary, and justified. Today’s decision validates that work—but this is only a first step. The threats these groups pose are real, global in nature, and this designation gives our law enforcement the tools necessary to protect our homeland. Congressman Rose will continue his bipartisan work to combat terrorism and keep our nation safe.”

Last month, following reports that State Department was preparing such a designation, Rose issued a statement saying, “I’ve been leading the fight to treat violent white supremacist groups for what they are: foreign terrorist organizations. I’m hopeful the Administration will follow through and make this designation official because the people on the front lines deserve every tool possible to protect the American people from terrorists. This is about focusing on the threats of today and tomorrow, not just today and yesterday.”

Rose’s bipartisan resolution, which he introduced last month, recognizes the global threat transnational white supremacist extremism presents to America and urges the U.S. Department of State to designate qualifying violent foreign white supremacist groups as FTOs. Rose’s resolution follows a letter he led with 40 Members of Congress to the Secretary of State requesting answers as to why white supremacist extremist groups are not included on the list of FTOs.

In a recent hearing chaired by Rose, Administration officials testified that that neo-Nazi organizations pose significant threats and FTO designation would give more tools to law enforcement to protect from those threats. Last month, the House Committee on Homeland Security unanimously advanced Rose’s Transnational White Supremacist Extremism Review Act, which would direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate a terrorist threat assessment of foreign violent white supremacist extremist groups.

Rose, the first Jewish Member of Congress from Staten Island, penned a column in the New York Times earlier this year with former FBI agent Ali Soufan on the threats posed by transnational violent white supremacist groups interconnected through networks here at home and across the world.

Disclaimer: This message was sent out by Rep. Max Rose’s congressional staff. The Congressman is currently away from the office while serving on active duty order with the New York Army National Guard. The use of Rose’s military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the New York Army National Guard or the Department of Defense.

Passover Tours Dealt Major Blow as Some Refuse to Return Money

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By Lieba Nesis

As Passover arrives, the formerly joyous holiday has lugubrious undertones as all global programs have been canceled.  Over the years Passover travel has skyrocketed with over 170 tours offering kosher food and entertainment for hefty prices.  It is not uncommon for a large family to spend a quarter of a million dollars for the holiday.   The bevy of options available from Thailand to Miami has turned the holiday from one associated with onerous preparation into a more relaxed vacation style eight-days.  That was until coronavirus hit: forcing Jews to hold lockdown seders with small family gatherings of ten or less replacing the mega-meals associated with prior years.

The community will face one of its biggest challenges yet as it must not give into the temptation to socialize.  Repeating the parties of Purim which led to hundreds of unneeded hospitalizations and deaths would be tragic.  Crowding stores and streets to buy seder plates for the holiday must be avoided-we have lost too many lives already.   The flouting of laws to remain six feet apart and avoid gatherings of more than 10 has resulted in thousands of clustered cases in Williamsburg, Boro Park and Lakewood.   Paradoxically, this past Sunday, April 5th, two heavily attended funerals took place in Brooklyn to mourn two people who lost their lives to an illness attendees were exposing themselves to.  This must stop as it places health care workers, the elderly and those with underlying conditions in unnecessary jeopardy.

Due to the current crisis, there are currently no Passover programs proceeding, with each tour taking a different course concerning refunds.  The Doral Miami, owned by President Trump, which costs $12,000 for room and food for two adults, gave back 100% of the money to its participants.  The sold-out Waldorf Orlando which costs $10,000 for a double occupancy room with food, returned 75% of the money-since they were still on the hook with vendors-allowing an additional 10% towards either of the next two years.  The Arizona Biltmore returned 70% of the money, with an option to carry forward 100% of the payment the following year.  The “Kosher Travelers” tour in Havana, Cuba refunded 70% of the money.

Some less generous operators include Kosherica’s Bonaventure which is only refunding 65% or allowing a credit toward the following year.  Koltuv events which was planning programs in Italy offered guests a 50% refund permitting the remainder to be used within the next two years.  Sarah Tours in El Jadida Morocco is offering a 50% credit and 50% towards 2021 (not bad).
Yad Rema Pesach in Cartegena, Colombia is giving a 40% credit for the following year or an 8-night free stay at the hotel during the year.  Kosherica Bahamas is offering 56% now or a full credit for 2021.  Finally, Lasko Kosher Tours, who own and operate Turnberry, Miami have not refunded anything as of April 3rd and were vague as to whether they were planning to do so.

Similarly outrageous is the Eden Roc hotel which has refused to return a $2.3 million deposit given by Magen David Yeshivah who booked 621 rooms for 1,200 guests to eat and enjoy the beautiful Miami Beaches.  After a school representative called to cancel, VP of Sales, Sergio Rivera, had the audacity to ask for the remaining $1.2 million.  The private Sephardic school stayed at the hotel in 2018 and 2019.  They subsequently signed a three-year contract that allowed for the trip to be canceled in the event of a “disease outbreak.” Moreover, under current Floridian laws hotels have been closed with gatherings strictly prohibited.  While the court will undoubtedly rule the deposit must be immediately returned there will nonetheless be a permanent stain on the Eden Roc’s reputation ensuring future boycotts.

The best option for families staying home is ordering take-out from Kosher Marketplace, or  Zabars or hundreds of other online options.  Even the omnipresent FreshDirect and Amazon are getting in on the Passover game with FreshDirect offering a leg of lamb that feeds 8 for the paltry price of $165-far cheaper than the $6,000 per person programs.

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Police Stoned In Meah Shearim On Shabbat; 10 Arrested, 30 Fined

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Police officers at a synagogue in the ultra orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Meah Shearim as they close shops and disperse public gatherings following the government's decisions, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. March 30, 2020. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** ??? ????? ????? ??????? ?????? ???? ???? ?????

Police forces entered Meah Shearim Friday night in order to enforce the health ministry’s regulations and found tens of residents violating the regulations and endangering public health. A number of residents hurled stones at police who were forced to use methods to disperse demonstrations.

On Shabbat morning police continued to disperse residents trying to make minyanim in shuls and open spaces in violation of regulations. Some residents attacked police, 10 local residents were arrested and 30 fines were issued.

Police dispersed a number of other minyanim in Jerusalem as well as in Modi’in Illit and Nahariya, where residents entered a shul from the back entrance but were found by police after local residents reported them.

VIN News

Number of coronavirus cases in Israel exceeds 8,000 as death toll continues to rise

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The empty Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv on April 4, 2020. The government ordered on a partial lockdown, in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90 *** Local Caption *** ?????? ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ?? ????

Israel’s COVID-19 death toll stands at 47, with 8,018 confirmed cases of infection, according to Israel’s Health Ministry. Of the confirmed cases, 7,195 patients are listed as being in mild condition, 173 in moderate condition and 127 in critical condition, among them 106 on ventilators. Thus far, 477 people in Israel have recovered from the virus.

Amid the backdrop of the tragic spread of the virus at a Beersheva nursing home, and as part of the efforts to stop the spread of the outbreak in Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tasked the Defense Ministry and Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command with helping the Health Ministry to administer the country’s nursing homes.

 

Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, a Magen David Adom volunteer paramedic was attacked upon entering Jerusalem’s ultra-Orthodox Mea Shearim neighborhood to administer a coronavirus test, with neighborhood residents hurling stones and other objects at him. He sustained a light head wound and was taken to hospital for treatment. The windshield of his vehicle was also smashed. A crime report was filed with police.

“I got out of the municipality-issued vehicle we drive around to take blood samples, and on the way to the home of a person who was showing symptoms [of the coronavirus] … all of a sudden a crowd of people began gathering around me, shouting at me and they threw stones and other things at me,” said Nassim Khatib, the medic.

Americans brace for ‘hardest, saddest’ week of their lives

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by JIM MUSTIAN and FRANCES D’EMILIO (A.P)

 Americans braced for what the nation’s top doctor warned Sunday would be “the hardest and saddest week” of their lives while Britain assumed the unwelcome mantle of deadliest coronavirus hot spot in Europe after a record 24-hour jump in deaths that surpassed even hard-hit Italy’s.

Britain’s own prime minister, Boris Johnson, was hospitalized, 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19 in what his office described as a “precautionary step.”

Amid the dire news, there were also glimmers of hope some hard-hit areas — the number of people dying appeared to be slowing in New York City, Spain and Italy. The news was cautiously welcomed by leaders, who also noted that any gains could easily be reversed if people did not continue to adhere to strict lockdowns.

The U.S. is still awaiting the peak, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams offered a stark warning about the expected wave of virus deaths.

“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”

In a rare televised address to her country, meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II also appealed to Britons to rise the occasion, while acknowledging enormous disruptions, grief and financial difficulties.

“I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge,” she said. “And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any.”

In New York City, the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, daily deaths dropped slightly, along with intensive care admissions and the number of patients who needed breathing tubes inserted, but New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned that it was “too early to tell” the significance of those numbers.

Italy and Spain also got some encouraging news. Italy registered its lowest day-to-day increase in deaths in more than two weeks — 525, said Angelo Borrelli, the head of the national Civil Protection agency. The pace of infection also seemed to be slowing.

Even so, Borrelli warned, “This good news shouldn’t make us drop our guard.”

Confirmed infections fell in Spain, too, and new deaths declined for the third straight day, dropping to 674 — the first time daily deaths have fallen below 800 in the past week.

“We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said.

The outlook, however, remained bleak in Britain, which reported more than 600 deaths Sunday, surpassing Italy’s increase. Italy still has by far the world’s highest coronavirus death toll — almost 16,000.

Johnson, meanwhile, has been hospitalized, though his office said it was not an emergency and that the 55-year-old Conservative will undergo tests.

There are concerns that Johnson’s government did not take the virus seriously enough at first and that spring weather will tempt Britons and others to break social distancing rules.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the U.K. might even ban outdoor exercise if people still ’’flout the rules.″

“The vast majority of people are following the public health advice, which is absolutely critical, and staying at home,” Hancock told Sky TV. “But there are a small minority of people who are still not doing that — it’s quite unbelievable, frankly, to see that.”

As the numbers of infections rose, the deputy head of Britain’s National Health Service Providers said the agency needed to focus on quickly increasing ventilator capacity and getting more protective equipment for health care workers.

“I think that we are just a week away from the surge of this,” Saffron Cordery told Sky TV.

Italians have not been immune to lure of the good weather either. Top Italian officials took to national television after photos were published showing huge crowds out shopping in Naples, Rome, Genoa and even the hard-hit Veneto city of Padua.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza told RAI state television that all the sacrifices Italians have made since the nationwide lockdown began on March 10 risked being reversed.

Restrictions on movement vary from country to country. In Germany and Britain, residents can get out to exercise and walk their dogs, as well as go to the supermarket, the post office and do other essential tasks. Yet in Serbia and South Africa, dog walking is not allowed.

In France, heat-seeking drones have been whizzing over Fontainebleau forest to identify rule-breakers after the former royal estate in the Paris suburbs was closed to the public.

In Sweden, authorities have advised the public to practice social distancing, but schools, bars and restaurants are still open.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis celebrated Mass and blessed palms for Palm Sunday in a near-empty St. Peter’s Basilica. Usually tens of thousands of faithful would have crowded the square outside.

In New Orleans, Rev. Emmanuel Mulenga blessed palm fronds and put them on a table near the back of his Saint Augustine Catholic Church — so people could get them while also observing social distancing.

Worldwide, more than 1.2 million people have been confirmed infected and nearly 70,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, due to limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.

The vast majority of infected people recover from the virus, which is spread by microscopic droplets from coughs or sneezes. For most people, the virus causes mild to moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. But for some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause pneumonia and lead to death. The World Health Organization says 95% of the known coronavirus deaths in Europe have been in people over 60.

The rapid spread of the virus in the United States has prompted a chaotic scramble for medical equipment and protective gear.

An Associated Press review of federal purchasing contracts showed that federal agencies largely waited until mid-March — more than two months after the first warnings of a potential pandemic — to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers.

By that time, hospitals in several states were treating thousands of infected patients without adequate equipment and pleading for shipments from the national stockpile. Now that stockpile is nearly drained just as the numbers of patients requiring critical care is surging.

Rebekah Gee, who heads the Louisiana State University’s health care services division, warned that the private and public sector have been competing with each other, leading to price increases.

Gee, who once ran the state’s Department of Health, said one of her colleagues went on eBay to buy gowns, while equipment her department ordered from China got stalled for weeks in Hong Kong.

“Our whole country is at war with this virus,” she said. “This needs a coordinated approach, and right now that’s not happening.”

Louisiana and the New Orleans area have been hard hit by the virus, and Gov. John Bel Edwards has repeatedly warned of looming shortages for ventilators and intensive care unit beds.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Sunday that he hoped the pace of new infections would plateau soon, but that the virus is unlikely to be completely eradicated this year.

Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Fauci said the prospect of a resurgence is why the U.S. is working so hard to develop a vaccine and conducting clinical trials on treatments.

This is the first known outbreak of the virus, and scientists are still learning about it. In what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S., officials said Sunday that a tiger at the Bronx Zoo had tested positive for the virus.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hospitalized with virus

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By JILL LAWLESS (AP)

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was admitted to a hospital Sunday for tests, his office said, because he is still suffering symptoms, 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Johnson’s office said the admission to an undisclosed London hospital came on the advice of his doctor and was not an emergency. The prime minister’s Downing St. office said it was a “precautionary step” and Johnson remains in charge of the government.

Johnson, 55, has been quarantined in his Downing St. residence since being diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 26 — the first known head of government to fall ill with the virus.

Johnson has continued to preside at daily meetings on Britain’s response to the outbreak and has released several video messages during his 10 days in isolation.

In a message Friday, a flushed and red-eyed Johnson said he said he was feeling better but still had a fever.

The virus causes mild to moderate symptoms in most people, but for some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause pneumonia and lead to death.

U.S. President Donald Trump offered encouragement to Johnson as he opened a White House briefing on the pandemic Sunday. ”All Americans are praying for him,” Trump said.

Johnson has received medical advice remotely during his illness, but going to a hospital means doctors can see him in person.

Dr. Rupert Beale, a group leader of the cell biology of infection lab at the Francis Crick Institute for biomedical studies, said doctors would likely “be monitoring important vital signs such as oxygen saturations,” as well as performing blood tests, assessing Johnson’s organ function and possibly performing a CT scan on his chest to assess his lungs.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who has been designated to take over if Johnson becomes incapacitated, is set to lead the government’s coronavirus meeting Monday.

Johnson’s fiancee, Carrie Symonds, 32, revealed Saturday that she spent a week in bed with coronavirus symptoms, though she wasn’t tested. Symonds, who is pregnant, said she was now “on the mend.” She has not been staying with the prime minister in Downing St. since his diagnosis.

The government said Sunday that almost 48,000 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19 in the U.K., and 4,934 have died.

Johnson replaced Theresa May as Conservative prime minister in July and won a resounding election victory in December on a promise to complete Britain’s exit from the European Union. But Brexit, which became official Jan. 31, has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic sweeping the globe.

Johnson’s government was slower than those in some European countries to impose restrictions on daily life in response to the pandemic, leading his critics to accuse him of complacency. He imposed an effective nationwide lockdown March 23, but his government remains under huge pressure to boost the country’s number of hospital beds and ventilators and to expand testing for the virus.

London has been the center of the outbreak in the U.K., and politicians and civil servants have been hit hard. Several other members of Johnson’s government have also tested positive for the virus, including Health Secretary Matt Hancock and junior Health Minister Nadine Dorries. Both have recovered.

News of Johnson’s admission to hospital came an hour after Queen Elizabeth II made a rare televised address to the nation, in which she urged Britons to remain “united and resolute” in the fight against the virus.

“We will succeed — and that success will belong to every one of us,” the 93-year-old monarch said, drawing parallels to the struggle of World War II.

“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again,” she said.

Most Tristate Residents Pay Rent for April; but Landlords Worry Trouble is Ahead

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During a Thursday conference call held by the Community Housing Improvement Program with more than 100 landlords across the city, property owners said no more than 10% of their tenants reached out about not having the rent money or delaying payment Crain’s reported.

Those numbers are not bad at all considering earlier reports indicated upwards of 40% of tenants would not be able to pay rents.

The NY Times reported on several studies which indicated upcoming doom for most landlords and financially devastated tenants.

A recent online survey by the website Property Nest found that roughly 39 percent of respondents said that they would be unable to pay rent if they lost their job during the coronavirus pandemic.

Officials at the Metropolitan Council on Housing, a tenants’ rights group, said an unscientific survey conducted of its members found that 77 percent of them would have a challenge paying rent in April, with 50 percent saying they could not pay it at all.

A survey from March 20 to 22 by the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy found that 36 percent of respondents had a family member who had lost a job during the pandemic. About 44 percent of respondents said they would have trouble making their next rent or mortgage payments.

It would seem these survey’s and studies were off; however the economic crisis might not have peaked quite yet.  Jay Martin executive director of Community Housing Improvement Program told Crain’s that there could be a domino effect.

Martin Explained that if tenants don’t pay rent, landlords won’t make their mortgages. If enough tenants fail to pay, banks could eventually foreclose on multifamily properties that become insolvent, leaving renters looking for new homes, or becoming homeless, and banks becoming the largest property owners in the country.

Crain’s reported:  Martin cautioned that if the percentage of tenants who seek to renegotiate their lease—or acknowledge a failure to pay—ticks up into the 20% range, then smaller landlords and smaller operators won’t able to pay their vendors. Any increase of percentage into the 35% or 45% default range would impact the operators of 100-unit and 200-unit buildings. And anything higher than that percentage increase would affect corporate owners such as Blackstone—and by that point smaller building owners no longer would be able to operate.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and other governors has ordered a 90-day moratorium on evictions, which does not wipe out rents but delays payments.  Tenant advocates naturally feel this is not enough. Regardless of whether you are an owner, tenant or landlord, we can still lay witness to one of the biggest housing market crashes in America’s history due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Brooklyn’s Orthodox Enclaves Have Disproportionately High Rates of COVID-19 Infections

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Jared Evan

Borough Park, Crown Heights, Williamsburg and Midwood all have above-average positive coronavirus positive test rates compared to most other areas in the five boroughs, JTA reported.

Orthodox Jews, for whom large families and frequent communal gatherings could have led to easier transmission of the virus, according to US News and World Report.

In Borough Park, more than 67% of coronavirus tests have come back positive — the highest rate in Brooklyn and sixth highest of any Zip code in New York City.

In Crown Heights, 63.4% of tests are positive, while in Williamsburg the figure is 62.5% and in Midwood it is 60.3%. The average positive test rate across the city is 53%.

Haredi, men are accustomed to attending communal prayers three times a day, and social lives revolve around synagogue and lifecycle celebrations like weddings and funerals. Haredi or Orthodox families are also larger than average and tend to live in dense neighborhoods in the city, JTA reported.

Many incidents have been documented on social media, showing Orthodox gathering in the streets for weddings and other religious communal events.

A Orthodox Wedding held in Marine Park went viral on Facebook and many virulent anti-Semitic remarks followed from readers. Many people in the Jewish community have pleaded with the Orthodox to refrain from their traditions during the pandemic.

Mikveh (ritual baths) have mostly modified their services and are allowing Jews to partake in the ritual immersion to achieve purity only by appointment.

Ironically, the Corona neighborhood tops the list at more than 77%.

The five city Zip codes with the highest positive test rates are in Queens, with the Corona neighborhood topping the list at more than 77%. It is speculated that these working class, highly Hispanic areas are populated by individuals who jobs are impossible to preform  from home and are considered essential .

The areas of New York that have a larger share of households with people over 65 had higher rates of confirmed cases per 1,000 people, the AP found. But other demographic variables – from high household incomes to large shares of foreign-born populations to areas with large numbers of overcrowded housing units – saw no significant link to COVID-19 case trends, US News and World Report, explained.

Asked about why some areas had been hit harder than others, Dr. Mitchell Katz, chief executive of the city-run hospital system, told AP that crowded housing could play a role.

“We know that in Queens, many families, because of poverty, live together in very close quarters. So that while we are practicing as a city social distancing, you may have multiple families living together in a very small apartment. And so it’s easy to understand why there’s a lot of transmission of COVID occurring,” he said.

Dr. Katz observation does not 100% prove true however, the bustling Chinese community in Flushing, Queens, have had as few positive tests per capita as any wealthy, whiter part of the city, USNWP reported.