Coronavirus Hot Spot Unrest is 'Measles Redux': Cuomo

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — As the state prepares to drastically restrict activities for two weeks in five coronavirus clusters in Rockland and Orange counties, Brooklyn and Queens, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the unrest in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community could be traced back to the fact that they got away with not following the state's rules back in the spring.

Cuomo said Thursday that when he talked to Hasidic leaders in the Hudson Valley and New York City earlier in the week, they said that during New York's shutdown at the height of the pandemic, "we never did it and nobody said anything."

He called the reaction of the Ultra-Orthodox community "measles redux," referring to the measles outbreak in the city and Rockland County in 2018-19. The measles outbreak was also geographic, concentrated in the Hasidic communities where vaccination rates are low, and which lasted 11 months. SEE: Measles Outbreak: Uncooperative Rocklanders Lead To More Cases

He also called the protests in Brooklyn "disgusting."

Over two nights, huge crowds of Hasidic men have protested the new restrictions violently. They stoned one member of their community who had advocated for mask-wearing, and beat up another, according to news reports. Shouting at journalists, one said "We don’t go by the laws of America. We have our own laws," the New York Daily News reported.

A reporter was assaulted.

Umbrella organization Agudath Israel of America is suing New York state, saying restrictions on worship are unconstitutional. However, the group condemned the violence.

"The incitement and violence that have occurred during otherwise peaceful and lawful protests in Brooklyn the past two nights are reprehensible and in polar contrast to what the Jewish faith requires of Jews," said Rabbi Avi Shafran, Agudath Israel's Director of Public Affairs. "Anyone who rabble-rouses or engages in intimidation or violence ostensibly in the service of protecting the right to prayer in synagogues is a hypocrite."

The coronavirus clusters where cases are spiking affect just 6 percent of New York's total population, Cuomo said at a news briefing Thursday. The clusters where the positivity rates are highest are in predominantly Ultra-Orthodox communities.

A daily positivity rate of 27.6 percent was reported Friday from Orange County, where the Hasidic enclave of Palm Tree is the hot spot.

Rockland's active cases are still rising rapidly, most in Hasidic enclaves in Monsey and Spring Valley. The county reported 1,500 active cases as of Wednesday, up from 1,072 on Friday and a huge increase from 272 as of Sept. 16. There are 22 people hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19.

In contrast, the overall positivity rate in New York was 1.01 percent Wednesday, Cuomo said.

The 14-day rules delineate a red zone of neighborhoods where the highest density of cases have been confirmed. The new rules close all schools, shut down all but essential businesses, allow only takeout from restaurants and limit houses of worship to a maximum of 10 people. Mass gatherings are prohibited.

There's an outer buffer called the yellow zone. There, houses of worship are limited to 50 percent capacity and mass gatherings are limited to a maximum of 25 people. Also, schools in that zone must do weekly coronavirus testing.

However, Agudath Israel of America asked for a temporary restraining order to bar the State of New York from enforcing its limits on house of worship attendance in certain areas of the state.

The group argued that the Executive Order’s restrictions unconstitutionally discriminate against religious practice while permitting comparable secular conduct. Moreover, the restrictions violate Free Exercise rights because they appear to target conduct due to religious motivation

With Hoshanah Rabbah, Shemini Atzeres, and Simchas Torah holidays beginning Friday, the limits would disrupt the religious observance of tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews, "depriving them of their religious worship and holiday observance."

SEE ALSO: 'Just Not Fair': Communities Bristle At New NYC Shutdowns

Editor's Note: This article was updated to add information and comment from Agudath Israel of America.