COVID lockdown violations plague ultra-Orthodox community over Tu Bishvat

Several large-scale violations of the COVID-19 lockdown took place in the ultra-Orthodox community over the holiday of Tu Bishvat on Wednesday and Thursday, as infection rates in the sector remain double that of the general population.On Wednesday night, the grandchildren of the grand rabbis of the Sanz and Toldot Aharon Hassidic sects got married in Netanya at the Sanz Hassidic headquarters, with hundreds of hassidim in attendance.An invitation was issued stipulating that the celebration would be held in a reduced format, but pictures from the event that appeared on social media showed hundreds in attendance with no masks at all.Other photographs also revealed heavily attended Tu Bishvat “tisch” celebrations on Wednesday night in several hassidic courts, including the Nadvorna and Lelov communities.According to figures released by the Health Ministry on Thursday, infection rates in the ultra-Orthodox community remain more than double that of the general population, with the rate of positive COVID-19 tests in the sector standing at 20.2%, compared with 9.3% for all sectors.Infections in the ultra-Orthodox community also account for 26% of all COVID-19 cases, while it comprises just 12% of the general population.The number of new COVID-19 infections per 10,000 citizens among the ultra-Orthodox is on a downward trend, but also remains double that of the general population.Outside the Belz Hassidic world center on Thursday afternoon in Kiryat Belz, Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Post witnessed dozens, if not hundreds, of people entering the massive complex.Three buses full of hassidic families arrived during the course of approximately 30 minutes along with several minivans, while many of the passengers came with large suitcases indicating that they were from outside of Jerusalem.There was no police presence at all in the area.