Dear Parents of our Kehillah, Boruch Hashem there has been a consistent decrease in the number of new Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations. Our hishtadlus in vigilance with isolation and social distancing has been a great contributing factor for this decrease. However, even as the virus decreases in our community, as long as it is still active in the surrounding communities, social distancing is the only hishtadlus that we can do to prevent it from being reintroduced and chas v’sholom flaring up again in our community. Although until now children have tended to be asymptomatic or to exhibit mild illness due to Covid-19, they can still pass on the virus to others.

New York’s Democratic Party leadership gave up trying to cancel the state’s June 23 presidential primary Tuesday after an appeals court rejected arguments that holding it during the coronavirus pandemic would endanger public safety. Douglas A. Kellner, co-chair of the State Board of Elections, said he and the board’s commissioner would not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court after the ruling by the three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.

Dear YWN, I’ve lived in the Five Towns my entire life and I grew up always in the middle between Yeshivish and Modern, and recently due to the conversation of Minyanim the split has me confused. Although I understand the concept of the extreme Chumra we have on Pikuach Nefesh its been really bothering me how come we cant have a Minyan in a backyard with x’s to mark off spots and a guard to make sure its enforced. I always pride my self in having extreme Emunas Chachamim so of course I will listen to my Rabbonim, but the issue I am about to bring up is the final straw for me. Governor Cuomo recently announced that the beaches will be open for Memorial Day.

New York State is piloting a program to bring visitors back in to hospitals, NYS Governor Cumo announced moments ago. As part of the two-week pilot program, 16 hospitals across the state can increase visitation for family/loved ones who must wear PPE and are subject to symptom & temperature checks. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York State Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein has been at the forefront of the movement insisting that patients’ family members be permitted to visit them during their time of greatest pain and need. On March 18, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr.

The following is from the Facebook page of News 12 reporter Blaise Gomez. YWN notes that Gomez is well-known in the Jewish community, running round trying to find stories in the Jewish community. Many of her stories prompt hundreds of anti-Semitic comments on her social media platforms and make their way around other hate outlets in Upstate NY. “We saw children at windows inside the United Talmudical Academy in Kiryas Joel this morning – despite the state’s executive order, closing schools in New York. Following our arrival, other children walking toward school, with books in hand, or being driven in were turned away by several men standing outside. A viewer also sent us a photo of children standing outside UTA this morning, which I will post in the thread.

Senator Ted Cruz is calling on the Justice Department to investigate NYC Mayor Deblasio after the NYPD shut down a Hasidic Yeshiva operating in defiance of the executive order. “The next time NYC’s mayor sends out a gleeful tweet about sending cops after Jews, the DOJ should investigate to make sure he’s not violating constitutionally guaranteed religious liberties,” Cruz wrote in a Tuesday morning tweet. “Actually, they should have done it after the last one,” he added. As YWN reported, the NYPD on Monday shut down an Orthodox Jewish school in Brooklyn that was operating illegally during the pandemic.

A New York City physician known for his dedication to patient care continued working on the frontlines of the pandemic in an intensive care unit and died from COVID-19. As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in New York, Dr. James A. Mahoney, 62, worked nonstop at University Hospital of Brooklyn, an under-funded institution that serves a predominantly poor, black community, The New York Times reported Monday. Many physicians near his age stopped seeing patients out of concern that age or health issues would put them at a greater risk. But Mahoney, who was on the frontlines during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the AIDS epidemic, refused, according to his boss, Dr. Robert F. Foronjy.

Cholov Yisroel cream cheese has apparently listened to government and medical personnel to “stop the spread”, and consumers are reporting a shortage of the product. Consumers report that most Kosher supermarkets have no cream cheese whatsoever. One person told YWN they went to six stores in Flatbush on Monday morning before they were able to find any. Besides for normal usage, the cheese product is highly popular this time of year as many recipes call for cream cheese to make many items consumed on Shavuos. Companies such as J&J say the shortage is due to employees only working half their normal hours the past few weeks due to COVID-19. Beside for “stopping the spread”, the shortage will most definitely help “flatten the curve”. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Western New York, including the city of Buffalo, met the state’s coronavirus containment goals and can begin to reopen its economy, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. Hospitals will be able to schedule elective surgeries as the region enters the first phase of reopening on Tuesday, but gatherings such as church services and sports events will still be banned, Cuomo said. “Personal disclosure — I want to watch the Buffalo Bills,” said Cuomo, who held Monday’s briefing in Buffalo.

The NYPD shut down a Yeshiva in Brooklyn after neighbors reported the school was operating in violation of city and state orders, law enforcement officials told NBC New York. The Yeshiva is on Madison Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. According to NBC, “more than 100 children were inside the building Monday morning when police arrived”. YWN has confirmed that the “children” are in fact 15 year old Bochrim. The people who complained to the NYPD and called 311 reported seeing children playing on the roof of the school building without masks. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (Source: NBC New York)