Over 70% of Israelis over 16 have been vaccinated, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said on Tuesday morning. A total of 4.5 million Israelis have received the first dose of the vaccine, of whom over 3 million received both doses. The IDF stated on Tuesday that about 85% of its soldiers and personnel will be vaccinated within the next couple of weeks. Vaccines have reduced infections among young people by 50%, according to a report by Prof. Eran Segal, who developed Weizmann Institute’s prediction model for the spread of COVID in Israel. “The first group to see a drop was the over 60s, which saw a dramatic decline in serious illness, followed by those aged 55-60,” he said.

just before the start of the Purim weekend, which is Thursday-Sunday this year, the government voted unanimously in favor of a night curfew to take place each night of the three-day weekend from 8:30 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. The purpose of the curfew is to hamper any possible spread of the virus over the holiday, which many point to as the holiday which began the spread of the pandemic in earnest last year in the country. According to the rules of the night curfew, people will not be able to travel beyond 1,000 meters from their home except for essential needs, and there will be a ban on being in another’s person’s home during that time. Public transportation will also severely limited and in many cases halted altogether.  Intercity bus service will not be running from Thursday at 8 p.m.

The man who surrendered at the FBI’s Hudson Valley office Monday to face charges in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege is a retired NYPD officer who had been assigned for a time to work perimeter security at City Hall and at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence, law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation told News 4 Tuesday. Thomas Webster, who is expected to appear in federal court in White Plains later in the day, is accused of using a pipe to attack Capitol Police that day, the officials said. Webster’s attorney, James Monroe, declined to comment Tuesday. The FBI had released an image, later identified by law enforcement officials as Webster, as part of their ongoing investigation into the violence last month.

On the background of the tragic death of Osnat Ben-Shitrit on Motzei Shabbos, Kan News published a report based on data from Israel’s Kupot Cholim, showing that only one-third of pregnant women in Israel have been vaccinated. The report added that Israel’s Society of Obstetrics sent a letter to the Health Ministry requesting that a hotline be opened to answer the numerous questions pregnant women have on the issue. Israel’s Health Ministry has recommended that all pregnant women be vaccinated, stressing that any risks of the vaccine are outweighed by the risks to the mother and fetus. HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky has given his bracha to the measure, saying that no one should fear getting vaccinated.

Israel’s reproduction number (the number of people each carrier infects) has risen in recent days after weeks of declining, standing at 0.86 on Tuesday, the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center reported. The reproduction number on Friday was 0.79, the lowest in months. “In the coming weeks an increase in the infection rate may be noted, due to the lifting of restrictions and the widespread British variant,” the report stated, adding that the British variant is “30-70% deadlier than the original virus.” Health officials are concerned, especially due to the fear of mass gatherings over Purim.

A decision was made on Monday to reduce the number of people allowed into Israel each day from 2,000 to 200, following a meeting of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. Only “urgent humanitarian cases” will be approved for entry. The new quota will go into effect next week and will be implemented until quarantine in hotels is restored or another solution is found. The decision comes in response to the revocation of the requirement for returning Israelis to quarantine in state-run hotels, which was knocked down on Sunday by the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch on Sunday slammed the committee’s decision to end the hotel quarantine requirement.

February 22, 2021 Dear Community Member, Before last Purim, we released our first community advisory regarding a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that was starting to spread in the United States. At that time, we encouraged the community to take basic precautions and to cancel any large gatherings, including on Purim. Immediately after Purim, unfortunately we saw a tremendous Increase in COVID-19 cases in our community. The devastation that COVID-19 left in its wake was enormous. This Purim has the potential to again be a “super-spreader” event in our community. As such, we feel compelled to release this advisory and remind people not to become complacent. We are hopefully nearing the end of this terrible pandemic, but we are not there yet.

Houses of worship in New Jersey are now able permitted to hold services with 50% room capacity with no caps on the number of people as the second wave of the coronavirus continues to retreat, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday. The new rule goes into effect immediately and comes just days ahead of Purim. “We know that for many of our residents, the ability to worship together plays a central role in well-being and mental health,” Murphy said at his regular COVID-19 briefing. “As our numbers continue to decline, we believe we can safely take this step.” Masks are still required and people from different households need to socially distance.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered former President Donald Trump’s accountants to releases financial and tax records to prosecutors in New York. The former president responded in a lengthy statement, calling the ruling “a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country.” FULL TEXT: ‘STATEMENT ON THE CONTINUING POLITICAL PERSECUTION OF PRESIDENT DONALD J.

The FDNY was battling a fast-moving blaze in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Monday morning. The fire started at around 10:40AM at 183 Empire Boulevard near Bedford Avenue. FDNY quickly transmitted a third alarm due to heavy fire conditions. Sources confirm to YWN that the business is a Jewish-owned mechanic shop. There are no reports of injuries or widespread evacuations. JOIN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS WHO ALREADY ARE ALERTED OF BREAKING NEWS LIKE THIS IN LIVE TIME: YWN WHATSAPP STATUS UPDATES: CLICK HERE to join the YWN WhatsApp Status. YWN WHATSAPP GROUPS: CLICK HERE to be added to an official YWN WhatsApp Group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)