Corona Virus

[a_Sarah]

Shabbat Shalom from Berlin. The situation is extraordinarily weird. I have been affected a lot by the recent changes, but at that point, most people have. All shops except for supplies are closed. Churches, mosques, synagogues, all closed. Our playgrounds are closed and this weekend our mayor will announce whether there will be a general order for a complete lock down. 

Personally, I had planned to visit a summer school in Israel in May and likely participate in a lab exchange between July and October, but that's cancelled. I also was selected as participant for a government funded German-Israeli network, but out seminars were postponed to November. In short: my professional life seems to take a very different direction from what I had planned. But I will make the best of it and post poned is not cancelled. 

Over the last weeks we had strong discussions about whether or not to host a conference this week.We had been working on it since October, but finally we were heard and able to shift it online over the course of two weeks. Good decision as we would not have been able to host it anymore (not to mention people from the hot spot, outbreak central were still happy to travel to us, we would have had 450 people coming in).

The university I work at closed down yesterday. We went and secured essentials (I also adopted my colleagues office plants - strange times), said goodbye from a safe distance and now work from home indefinitely. We will teach online next term, so I'll have home office until fall it seems. I'm considering fostering a dog during this time as it is the first time ever that I know I'll definitely won't have to travel for at least half a year. Strangely comforting, to be honest. The fear of missing out is just gone from my life.

Clubs, cultural institutions, schools, kindergartens, everything is closed and every day is eerily quiet, like the first of January, just even more still. On the other hand, everything is shifting online, concert houses and opera are streaming their (empty housed) program for free.

Luckily, most people now understood the situation and actually practice social distancing, but not all. It is so important, guys, really! It's not about getting sick yourself, it's about being asymptomatic carriers and transmitting the disease. And the young people right now are those who spread it most. We have had some hotspots in clubs, with only one infected person (symptomless until later!) Infecting dozens of others, having whole divisions of our police under quarantine because of the close contact those people work and live in. 
The hospitals cannot handle covid on top of everything else. It is flu season, too, so beds and ventilators are limited. Young people are now starting to be heavily affected, too, especially smokers, but also previously healthy people. It is dire. Berlin is building additional hospital surrogates.

We also do have shortages of specific goods and food at times. Cashiers can't keep up with stocking the shelves. Grocery delivery is fully booked into mid April. People are offering help to those who cannot go out, solidarity is increasing. But some people are also getting more aggressive. desinfectant has been stolen from a children's oncology ward. I hope the positives will outnumber those cases.

Please everyone, take it seriously. Depending on where you are, what you can see now in Italy but also beginning here in Germany will be your look into the future, so please prepare responsibly and isolate yourself as much as possible. It is a sacrifice we have to make for our community and society, to protect everyone around us.

[Jason]

My roommate went to Chabad last night here in Tel Aviv. They actually held prayers! I could have killed him.

[Chavak]

My roommate went to Chabad last night here in Tel Aviv. They actually held prayers! I could have killed him.

I'm surprised they held services! Everything here is pretty much closed down except the grocery stores, gas stations, banks, and the gun range.
Been venturing out a little bit but mostly staying home. I must say my house has never been so clean! And organized!
The governor signed an emergency declaration that people cannot leave their houses unless of absolute need (food and medical care and to exercise and for recreation).
You can get fined and thrown in jail if caught out without a good reason. However, sanity prevails as the sheriffs and police say they can't enforce it.
Going to head to the range with a friend tomorrow though, we consider that "recreation".

[searchinmyroots]

Thank you Sarah for the update from Berlin!

I think it is wonderful how we can connect from all over the world!

[Jason]

I think the government is making concessions to religion that shouldn't be made. We just received new rules for our situation, that everything non-essential is closed. We're not allowed to leave our homes except within a 100-meter radius for the sake of buying food and medicines. For the next week, we're on lockdown.

However!!!! Religious groups are allowed to meet, up to ten people, for prayers in open spaces (though no one is going to check that they aren't meeting inside their buildings). This is obviously said to accommodate the custom of minyan in Judaism. It's such a bad idea. We should be physically distancing ourselves from other people at this time—but those in the government are bowing to religious demands in the issuing of their restrictions.

It's bothersome. The rules should be applied to everyone, and we should be doing all we can to reduce the infection rate and avoid contracting the virus. Going to communal prayers at this time shouldn't be an option. My roommate is being careless.

[Jason]

Here's a discussion of the new rules in Israel, and it specifically says that synagogues are shut and that this decision has already led to fights with the police.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-5-p-m...ogues-shut

[Dana]

Just an opinion.  Honestly, I think people are losing their minds over this flu and we've yet to experience the repercussions of shutting down the economy. I believe that is a huge mistake.  

We are human and when we do normal things like gather together for events either secular or religious  which then becomes criminal, is a more disturbing thought to me.  

Elderly people came in to a store I frequent and were "violating" the social distancing rules as if they didn't care. They probably didn't. And that is just fine with me. What bothered me more was the reaction of the clerks. They were visibly angry.  With all the media attention and fearmongering over this virus we may well be seeing people penalized for what was a month ago, quite normal behavior.

[searchinmyroots]

Just an opinion.  Honestly, I think people are losing their minds over this flu and we've yet to experience the repercussions of shutting down the economy. I believe that is a huge mistake.  

We are human and when we do normal things like gather together for events either secular or religious  which then becomes criminal, is a more disturbing thought to me.  

Elderly people came in to a store I frequent and were "violating" the social distancing rules as if they didn't care. They probably didn't. And that is just fine with me. What bothered me more was the reaction of the clerks. They were visibly angry.  With all the media attention and fearmongering over this virus we may well be seeing people penalized for what was a month ago, quite normal behavior.

Dana,

I agree and think there should be a balance.

Yes, we should keep our distance and practice a little extra good sanitary hygiene, but do we really need to shut everything down?

I'm not so sure either way.

Another good piece of advice is to try to separate older people and those with underlying conditions from the younger, healthier ones who most likely may get the virus and recover quickly.

Every year 10's of thousands of people die from the flu and we've never shut anything down. If I'm not mistaken, over a million people died from TB a couple of years ago. How come most people don't even know that?

Please don't get me wrong, this is a serious virus and all precautions should be taken as with anything else that is serious. But let's be sensible about it!

[RabbiO]

Dana,

I agree and think there should be a balance.

Yes, we should keep our distance and practice a little extra good sanitary hygiene, but do we really need to shut everything down?

I'm not so sure either way.

Another good piece of advice is to try to separate older people and those with underlying conditions from the younger, healthier ones who most likely may get the virus and recover quickly......

40% of those hospitalized with covid 19 are between 20 - 56 years old. Anyone who thinks that this is a disease that only targets the elderly or otherwise health compromised individuals is wrong.

The way deaths are tracked by CDC for covid 19 and influenza are different. When it comes to flu, the CDC doesn't really track. The CDC assumes that flu deaths are under reported and therefore includes in its figures deaths that could be related to someone having the flu, but is not necessarily so - because no tests are made to determine whether the deceased ever actually had the disease. A death is reported as related to covid 19 only when a there has been a positive test for the presence of the virus.

Health experts estimate that covid 19 is far more virulent, far more deadly than the flu. If, to date, it does not appear that way it is probably due to the fact that we are still in the upward curve of its progression - and perhaps due to our belated, but sooner than some other countries, recognition of the problem and our social distancing etc.

Undo those and I have no doubt there would be a dramatic increase in the number of illnesses and deaths.

Of course, there is also the issue of violating Jewish law and Jewish ethics.

[searchinmyroots]

Dana,

I agree and think there should be a balance.

Yes, we should keep our distance and practice a little extra good sanitary hygiene, but do we really need to shut everything down?

I'm not so sure either way.

Another good piece of advice is to try to separate older people and those with underlying conditions from the younger, healthier ones who most likely may get the virus and recover quickly......

40% of those hospitalized with covid 19 are between 20 - 56 years old. Anyone who thinks that this is a disease that only targets the elderly or otherwise health compromised individuals is wrong.

The way deaths are tracked by CDC for covid 19 and influenza are different. When it comes to flu, the CDC doesn't really track. The CDC assumes that flu deaths are under reported and therefore includes in its figures deaths that could be related to someone having the flu, but is not necessarily so - because no tests are made to determine whether the deceased ever actually had the disease. A death is reported as related to covid 19 only when a there has been a positive test for the presence of the virus.

Health experts estimate that covid 19 is far more virulent, far more deadly than the flu. If, to date, it does not appear that way it is probably due to the fact that we are still in the upward curve of its progression - and perhaps due to our belated, but sooner than some other countries, recognition of the problem and our social distancing etc.

Undo those and I have no doubt there would be a dramatic increase in the number of illnesses and deaths.

Of course, there is also the issue of violating Jewish law and Jewish ethics.

Yes, many of the younger ones may be getting the virus but from what I understand a very high majority of them recover. If one has a string immune system it is most likely you will recover just like any other virus.

I've also heard several doctors say it isn't deadlier or more contagious.

Don't get me wrong, I think it is very dangerous. But I also think the number of cases really isn't as important as the number of deaths and what those people who did die had as underlying illnesses.

Look at Itlay for example. The vast majority have been older, sickly patients. I'm going to guess many of them might have died if they got the regular flu as about 55,000 people in the USA may do this year.