New York City Health Department Comes Down Hard On COVID Hit Communities, Closes Another Jewish School

by CrownHeights.info

Just one day after a Health Department memo noted a series of COVID-19 clusters growing in New York City, the Department came down hard, visiting the hard hit areas and closed another Jewish school.

Rabbi Meyer Weitman, the dean of Torah Academy for Girls in Far Rockaway, sent a letter to parents notifying them that the city has forced them to close without warning.

“At 9:30 this evening, we received a phone call from the NYC Department of Health ordering that the school be closed effective immediately. We have not been provided with any specific details as relates to the reasons, causes or duration of the closure,” he wrote.

While the city’s decision may be seen as prudent, it is causing alarm due to the fact that the school had policies in place that “met and exceeded all published State and CDC Guidelines,” creating a worrying precedent for schools throughout the city.

Also, the reason for the closure was not given, and according to Rabbi Weitman, “Other than the classes that had already been quarantined, we HAVE NOT been instructed to quarantine other students.”