The Haredi sector has seen a significant spike in infections in recent days after it initially appeared the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic had largely passed over the country's ultra-Orthodox cities.
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As of Sunday morning, all Haredi cities in Israel were designated as "red," except for Beitar Ilit, which is designated "orange." Some of the cities are atop the nationwide list of places with the most diagnosed cases.
The percentage of positive tests in the Haredi sector is relatively high in all of its cities. In the town of Rechasim in northern Israel, the positive test rate is 21%, higher than any other city in Israel. In Elad, the infection rate was 15%, in Kiryat Yearim it was 14%, and in Bnei Brak and Kfar Chabad it was 13%.
Despite the high morbidity rate, Haredi schools, as of now, will remain open. The Health Ministry in recent days has sought to mobilize a serological testing mechanism, which appears to be faltering out of the gate. As of the weekend, some 40,000 students out of around 250,000 in the Haredi sector have been tested.
Voices in Haredi circles in recent days have expressed anger at the government for its treatment of the matter. The fact that the vaccination drive in schools was launched late, alongside the lack of a discernible safety outline for the upcoming holiday season and overseas travel to Uman, Ukraine, and the attempt to test thousands of Haredi students – have sparked considerable ire.
'We are test dummies'
Among other things, the residents of Haredi cities are furious over the long lines for serological tests. "We are being used as test dummies before the start of the school year in the general public," said one resident of Bnei Brak.
In the meantime, amid the backdrop of the high morbidity, several Haredi cities were trying to encourage vaccinations.
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