Highlights from Ha’Aretz in Israel – Covid-19 and Potential for Human Killing Machines…
To read the Ha’Aretz Article in its entirety, click here.
LIVE UPDATES:
■ 433 Israelis have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, with the vast majority of cases mild and 12 recoveries. Six patients are in serious condition. In the West Bank, 44 cases have been diagnosed so far, the majority of them in Bethlehem. Another 3,900 Palestinians have been placed in quarantine.
11:02 P.M. Chief rabbi says hospital synagogues will be closed amid difficulty to maintain social distancing
10:47 P.M. Nine Israeli soldiers contract COVID-19, over 5,000 placed in quarantine
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said that nine soldiers have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 5,630 soldiers in mandatory service as well as career soldiers placed in quarantine.
Most of the confirmed patients in the army have returned from vacations abroad, with some of them coming into contact with people who were also diagnosed with the virus. (Yaniv Kubovich)
9:40 Prominent rabbi instructs to continue Torah studies in violation of Health Ministry directives
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the spiritual leader of the United Torah Judaism party, ordered the ultra-Orthodox community to continue Torah studies in Haredi educational institutions despite the new Health Ministry directives forbidding it. (Aaron Rabinowitz)
2:43 P.M. Police investigating quarantine violations, fake news
The police have until now investigated 86 people for quarantine violations and 21 people suspected of spreading fake news. In addition, the police issued 21 closure orders to business that kept operating despite directives, including event venues and gym.
12:34 P.M. Virus can persist in air for hours, study finds
The highly contagious novel coronavirus that has exploded into a global pandemic can remain viable and infectious in droplets in the air for hours and on surfaces up to days, according to a new study that should offer guidance to help people avoid contracting the respiratory illness called COVID-19.
Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, attempted to mimic the virus deposited from an infected person onto everyday surfaces in a household or hospital setting, such as through coughing or touching objects. (Reuters) Read the full report here
7:40 A.M. Health Ministry announces 90 new cases
427 Israelis have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus, up 27 percent from the previous tally of 337 cases, as testing for the disease expands.
7:38 A.M. Police make arrests for violating public health orders
The Israel Police arrested tne [sic] suspects who held a wedding with 150 guests in a synagogue in Beit Shemesh, violating the prohibition on gatherings larger than 10. (Josh Breiner)
LOSTMESSIAH 
Maybe this will force a showdown between the law and the Haredim. Send in troops, empty the buildings and chain them shut. Measles is one thing; this outbreak is already much worse than that. Nobody should die for someone else’s religious fanaticism.
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But it’s happening. And it’s in the US, in Israel, in other areas. Even the US President has not done enough to shut things down, lest he lose the next election. It is unsettling.
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Not done enough? Every action he takes makes thing worse.
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The rabbis likely won’t listen because they think they are immune to both a virus and to the laws, with rare exceptions. It would seem that the Gur in Israel have shut everything down. If they entered this century with tech equipment, they could be teaching classes in an online format. Obsessive learning is like all else, at some point, you have to put the brakes on.
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