Critics warn rabbinate’s call for day of public prayer puts thousands at risk

https://www.timesofisrael.com/critics-say-rabbinates-call-for-day-of-public-prayer-puts-thousands-at-risk/

 But with the publication of new epidemiological data on Tuesday showing that a significant number of Israelis with COVID-19 contracted the coronavirus at a synagogue, some critics are questioning this kind of rabbinate activity, and also asking whether the government’s containment efforts, especially in ultra-Orthodox communities, have been sufficiently rigorous. 


Research published Tuesday by Corona National Information and Knowledge Center, a government body of researchers that serves as an advisory group to the Health Ministry and the Home Front Command, found that 46.9 percent of Israelis had contracted the coronavirus abroad, 4.4% at home and 13.1% at an unknown location. Out of the remaining 35.6% of cases in which the source of the infection is known, nearly a quarter contracted it at a synagogue, making prayer one of the leading vectors for the spread of the disease.

8 Hadassah hospital workers infected with coronavirus

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277751

Hadassah Medical Center announced Tuesday that eight employees had tested positive for the coronavirus. These are staff members who did not know they were ill and are considers asymptomatic.

Six of the staffers work at the Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital where there are no coronavirus patients. All employees who tested positive were placed in immediate isolation. Any people found to have been in contact with them will also be required to self-isolate.

 

Government approves stricter coronavirus directives

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277774

 The government overnight Tuesday approved new restrictions on Israeli citizens, as part of the fight against the spread of COVID-19, in a telephone meeting that began at about 9:00 p.m. and lasted about six hours.

The new regulations will take effect on Wednesday evening and will be published in full during the day after the required revisions are completed by professionals.

As part of the new guidelines, a short-term exit from one’s home will be permitted up to a distance of up to 100 meters from the house. Food delivery services that have been allowed so far will be permitted to continue operating and so will essential home maintenance services.

Rabbis approve use of Zoom to celebrate Passover Seder due to coronavirus

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Raabis-approve-the-use-of-ZOOM-to-celebrate-passover-due-to-coronavirus-622221

 The ruling allows for online conference call program "ZOOM" to be used to conduct the Seder dinner as an exception to allow families to still spend time with one another. The seder is usually a big gathering around a single table. The ruling was made by several Orthodox Sephardi rabbis in Israel, in light of the coronavirus situation. 

Poll: Majority of Americans now approve of Trump’s coronavirus management

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/20/poll-majority-of-americans-now-approve-of-trumps-coronavirus-management-138570

A majority of Americans now approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new survey, as the administration has issued stricter federal guidelines in recent days and the president has adopted a more public-facing role in combating the disease.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday reports that 55 percent of respondents approve of Trump’s management of the public health crisis, while 43 percent disapprove. The latest figures represent a boost in the president’s rating from the previous iteration of the survey, published one week ago, which showed only 43 percent approval for Trump and 54 percent disapproval.

Ingraham: Starve the virus, not the economy

Republican Lt. Gov. suggests elderly should sacrifice themselves to save the economy

Johns Hopkins corona virus world map

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

 Coronavirus Resource Center

Johns Hopkins experts in global public health, infectious disease, and emergency preparedness have been at the forefront of the international response to COVID-19.

This website is a resource to help advance the understanding of the virus, inform the public, and brief policymakers in order to guide a response, improve care, and save lives.

Trump Eager To End Social Distancing As Virus Spreads Faster | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Prayer tomorrow without fasting

FBI: Neo-Nazi groups encouraged to spread coronavirus to police and Jews

https://www.jpost.com/International/FBI-Neo-Nazi-groups-encouraging-spread-coronavirus-to-police-and-Jews-622006

"Members of extremist groups are encouraging one another to spread the virus, if contracted, through bodily fluids and personal interactions," according to the FBI.

 

Oil execs to Trump: Whose side are you on?

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/oil-execs-to-trump-whose-side-are-you-on-145927

In POLITICO interviews, half a dozen industry officials who have talked with White House officials in recent days described Trump as slow to comprehend the twin body blows a global pandemic and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia would have on an industry he has long supported. Oil prices at $20 a barrel threaten to rain destruction on an industry that has donated $1.8 million to Trump's reelection campaign and employs hundreds of thousands of people in states key to any hope to beat his eventual Democratic rival for the presidency.

Already, Trump’s favorability is quite low in Texas — 45 percent in a University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll from early February, before the coronavirus crisis — compared to other predominantly Republican states, and he similarly lags in next-door New Mexico, a Democratic-leaning state which he hopes to win.

Israeli doctor in Italy: We no longer help those over 60

https://www.jpost.com/International/Israeli-doctor-in-Italy-We-no-longer-help-those-over-60-621856

Dr. Gai Peleg told Israeli television that in northern Italy, the orders are not to allow those over 60 access to respiratory machines.

 

Dollars vs. deaths is the sickening choice created by coronavirus

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/23/politics/what-matters-march-23/index.html

How many lives is the world economy worth? That's not a trite oversimplification. It is an open question being raised by President Donald Trump.

He is itching to scale back on social distancing as soon as possible and openly wondering if this is all worth it. The all-caps was his in a tweet Sunday: "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!"