As the number of coronavirus patients in Israel rose to 50 on Monday, more and more people are being forced into quarantine due to having been in proximity to someone subsequently diagnosed with the virus. Two of the patients diagnosed on Sunday spent time in Chareidi areas, including Geula, Telz-Stone, and the Rav Shefa mall.

Dozens of mispallelim of the “Chassidim” shul in Telzstone will have to spend Purim at home in self-quarantine, in accordance with the Health Ministry and local council, due to the fact that a man who davened Shacharis on Shabbos at “Chassidim” has since been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The Kiryat Yearim (Telzstone) local council published an annoucement: “Dear residents: Unfortunately, this past Shabbos a man was hosted here who was since diagnosed with the coronavirus. Currently, it’s known that he davened on Shabbos morning in the “Chassidim” shul. According to the Health Ministry’s instructions, anyone who davened at “Chassidim” on Shabbos morning must self-quarantine for 14 days according to the attached instructions and follow the Health Ministry’s instructions.”

“We are in continuous contact at this time with the Health Ministry, which is carrying out an investigation of the patient in order to receive information whether he frequented other places in [Telzstone]. We’ll provide updates immediately on any information we receive. Please be alert and pay attention to the announcements.”

מודעה ברחבי קרית יערים טלז סטון בעקבות חולה קורונה שהתפלל בבית הכנסת החסידים בשבת בבוקר pic.twitter.com/MmKKx7E6aU

— 'הקו החרדי' (@TheHarediline) March 9, 2020

It’s estimated that about 90 people in Telzstone who may have come in contact with the patient entered self-quarantine on Monday morning. Those who tried to enter the Chassidim shul on Monday morning found the door locked and a sign on the entrance wall announcing that the shul will be closed until further notice according to the Health Ministry’s instructions.

The man who was in Telz-Stone was diagnosed on Sunday. He is a 45-year old MDA medic, a Chabad chassid who used to live in Elad and now lives in central Israel.

The Health Ministry published a list of places the man was since February 28th, which includes the Chabad shul on the yishuv of Einav, the Osher Ad supermarket in Petach Tivka, a large mall in Petach Tikvah, the voting station in Einav, a nursing home on Rechov Argaman in Jerusalem, the Rav Shefa mall in Jerusalem, the Chassidim shul in Telz-Stone and the medical center in Elad on Rechov Rabbi Akiva where he was diagnosed with the virus. A detailed list of locations and times is available on the Health Ministry website.

A psak halacha by Harav Yitzchak Zilberstein, the Rav of the Ramat Elechanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak was published in the Hebrew Yated Neeman newspaper on Monday morning, saying: “Anyone who is obligated to be in quarantine on Purim is forbidden to come to shul to hear the Megillah because he is liable to infect others and stumble, chas v’shalom, on the sin of spilling blood.”

מרן הגר"י זילברשטיין כתב מכתב חדש המפורסם הבוקר ב'יתד' בו פוסק כי הנמצא בבידוד אסור לו ללכת לשמוע קריאת המגילה בציבור כי עלול להדביק אחרים ולהיכשל ח"ו בעוון שפיכות דמים – אלא יקרא לבד או ישמע מאחר העומד בחוץ. pic.twitter.com/8SVWSodvLT

— 'הקו החרדי' (@TheHarediline) March 9, 2020

“Those in quarantine should read the Megillah alone or listen to someone else [reading the Megillah] standing outside.”

“And Who answered Esther H’Malka and Mordechai HaYehudi should listen to our cries and send a Refuah Shleimah and remove the mageifah from our people.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)