Consequences of reopening shuls amidst Covid-19 a concern
JOBURG – The Jewish population of those countries has been more severely affected in numbers of deaths and serious illnesses than any other.
The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) raised concerns regarding Shul re-opening.
According to the national chairman, Shaun Zagnoev, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, all the decision making within the community has been made in close consultation with medical experts. He said the SAJBD recently met with medical experts again to understand the potential consequences of re-opening hulls.
He said SAJBD is concerned by the medical evidence which shows that there have been mini-outbreaks wherever people gather. Professor Barry Schoub, founding and former director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), and one of SAJBD’s advisors noted that, “The reopening of shuls at this stage of the Covid-19 epidemic in SA would pose a very serious threat to the Jewish community. In several countries in Europe and in the United States, especially in New York; Jewish communities have suffered grievously with far too many deaths and serious illness.”
The Jewish population of those countries has been more severely affected in numbers of deaths and serious illnesses than any other. In Britain and France respectively, there has been five and six times the number of deaths proportionate to their population. ”
In addition to that, Richard Friedland, a doctor and the CEO of Netcare, said, “We need to be extremely cautious with regards to the dangers of a potential ‘post lockdown euphoria’. In the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, it was the second wave or peak that followed the initial relaxation of the first lockdown that caused the most deaths (almost 15 million in the second wave). In South Africa, we are easing the lockdown and we have not yet experienced the peak of new daily infections, so we cannot afford in any way to lessen our vigilance.”To date we have placed substantial reliance on our medical experts and believe that to reopen would be ill-considered.
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