After a while the stories all become so similar that they blur together. Covid-19 infection rates rise. The Health Ministry (or coronavirus czar, or NSC head, or even the prime minister) plan measures to stop the spread of the disease. The measures are announced or briefed to the public. It becomes clear that these measures […]
Category: Covid-19
Red Zones Don’t Work in a Country the Size of New Jersey
Last week, I wanted a day of outside fun, so I went to the beach in Tel Aviv. A few years ago, when a family friend passed away, I paid a shiva call in Bnei Brak. The great thing about living in a country the size of New Jersey, is that it’s relatively easy to […]
Sometimes I hate being right
As I sounded the alarm over Israel’s sharp increase in daily coronavirus cases last week, I made a rather gloomy prediction: I don’t see how Haredi yeshivot can possibly be able to function safely while virus cases are high without making things much worse. But I also see little political possibility that the government, relying […]
Crisis as daily cases pass 3k
Yesterday, 3075 coronavirus cases were identified in Israel, a record number. The previous record, the day before, was 2250 daily cases. That works out to 32.6 new coronavirus cases per 100k residents yesterday, which is the highest in the world (excluding microstates). Bnei Brak alone reported over 250 cases yesterday. If Bnei Brak was a […]
10? 14? Explaining quarantine lengths
There’s been a LOT of confusion over how long mandatory quarantine (aka self-isolation or בידוד, “Bidud“) lasts in Israel. I probably get a few messages a week asking me about it, and it’s a popular topic on Secret Jerusalem too. Basically, there are two categories of quarantine in Israel, as there are in many other […]