The NYC Health Department provided the following update to YWN on Motzei Shabbos: We are writing to provide another update concerning COVID-19 case growth in Brooklyn and Queens. As of today, the percent of tests returning positive results in areas of concern are as follows. Gravesend/Homecrest (6.73%) Midwood (5.22%) Kew Gardens (3.53%) Edgemere/Far Rockaway (4.03%) Borough Park (4.20%) Bensonhurst/Mapleton (3.81%) Gerritsen Beach/Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay (3.57%) Flatlands/Midwood (3.40%) These areas account for over 23% of new cases citywide over the past two weeks despite representing just under 7% of the City’s overall population. The growth of cases in these ZIP codes is 3.3 times the citywide average over the past 14 days.

President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort. Republican senators are already lining up for a swift confirmation of Barrett ahead of the Nov. 3 election, as they aim to lock in conservative gains in the federal judiciary before a potential transition of power. Trump, meanwhile, is hoping the nomination will serve to galvanize his supporters as he looks to fend off Democrat Joe Biden. Trump hailed Barrett as “a woman of remarkable intellect and character,” saying he had studied her record closely before making the pick.

LAKEWOOD NJ: COVID-19 cases have risen in Monmouth and Ocean counties over the last two weeks to levels not seen since New Jersey became a global coronavirus hotspot in the spring. Ocean County reported its largest single-day total of the pandemic on Sept. 16 when it added 187 new cases to its tally. Three of the five largest one-day tallies in Ocean County were reported during the week ending Sept. 19, according to the county Health Department. In total, cases in Ocean County have increased by about 8% over the two-week period between Sept. 10 and 24. In Monmouth County, cases have risen 5% over that span, according to data reported by both counties.

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 7,527 new coronavirus cases on Friday morning in the previous 24 hours. The positive testing rate also broke a record, climbing to 12.8%. There are currently 60,786 active virus cases, with 669 seriously ill patients, of whom 167 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 1,378 after a grim record of 61 deaths were confirmed on Thursday, the highest number since the pandemic began, with another nine deaths confirmed on Friday. A Channel 12 News report on Thursday night listed the government’s criteria for lifting the lockdown: A basic reproduction number [an epidemiological term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is by measuring the expected number of transmitted cases from one case] of less than one, for a week.

With less than one day before the hermetic closure of Israel, the number of Corona cases still continues to spike. On Thursday 6,883 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed, and the total number of people to have contracted the virus since March rose significantly to 209,635. With between 50-60,000 people a day being tested for the disease, the percentage of positive cases still hovers at approximately 10 percent of the total. The current number of active cases in Israel is 59,842, but perhaps more shocking is the breakdown of that number into population centers.

El Al is trying to prevent the airline’s transfer of control to Eli Rozenberg, who acquired 42.89% of El Al with a $150 million offering at the company’s public offering last week, Globes reported. El Al is claiming that Eli Rozenberg is a “straw man” acting on behalf of his father, New York-based businessman Kenny Rozenberg, who is not an Israeli citizen. “We will ask you to consider the request for a permit to control El Al,” a lawyer representing El Al’s board of directors wrote in a letter to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and Cyber and National Digital Matters Minister David Amsalem.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft said on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump may be announcing a peace accord between Israel and another Arab state in the “next day or two.” “Our plan is to bring more countries, which we will have more being announced very soon,” Craft said in an interview with Al Arabiya. “It could be today.. in the next day or two,” she said.

The following urgent message was sent to YWN by Chevra Hatzolah regarding the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases throughout the Jewish communities in NYC: September 24, 2020 Dear Community Member, Over the last few weeks, we have seen a steady and dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in our community, with a recent alarming increase in severity and hospitalizations – including ICU admissions. WE MUST ALL DO OUR PART TODAY TO HELP CONTROL THE SPREAD OF THIS POTENTIALLY DEADLY VIRUS! WEAR A MASK PROPERLY (covering mouth and nose) in cases where strict social distancing cannot be practiced. Follow recommended social distancing precautions and guidelines from the CDC, State and Local Governments, and other healthcare professionals. Large gatherings of any kind must be avoided.

President Trump visited the Supreme Court on Thursday morning to pay respects to late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and was greeted by protesters. Trump and first lady Melania Trump left the White House around 9:45 a.m. and arrived at the Supreme Court shortly before 10 a.m. They spent a little under a half-hour at the court, where Ginsburg is lying in repose, before returning to the White House. The Trumps were seen briefly near Ginsburg’s casket at the top of the court’s steps around 10 a.m. Protesters could be heard chanting “Honor her wish” and “Vote him out.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 6,808 new coronavirus cases on Thursday morning in the previous 24 hours, with a record high of 12.9% positive virus tests. There are currently 56,901 active virus cases, with 667 seriously ill patients, of whom 164 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 1,335. Israel’s cabinet approved a stricter lockdown in Israel that will begin on Friday at 2 p.m. Dr. Rey Biton, the chairman of Israel’s Association for Medical Interns, told the coronavirus committee on Wednesday that hospitals are operating with only one-third of their usual staff since so many medical professionals are in quarantine. Additionally, many doctors and nurses are stuck at home due to lack of childcare.