Bnei Brak
Bnei BrakYossi Aloni/Flash90

After an extended battle with the coronavirus, the haredi-majority city of Bnei Brak has finally turned “green.”

The change in category was recorded on Tuesday morning, after updated figures from the Health Ministry showed that just 35 people tested positive for the virus in the last few days, with a very low positivity rate of three percent, proving that the low number of cases was not simply a result of reduced testing.

The municipality has reason to be proud of the achievement after investing massive efforts in changing people’s habits over the last months, during most of which Bnei Brak was a “red” city with a high rate of contagion. Government regulations were strictly enforced; information on the nature of the virus was widely disseminated; and huge numbers of people were tested – over 70% of the city’s population, the highest rate in the entire country. The city’s rabbis were also intensively involved in the city’s efforts to bring the contagion rate down.

Responding to the news, Bnei Brak’s mayor, Avraham Rubinstein, said: “This morning, we have reached a very significant milestone in our battle against the coronavirus epidemic. The residents of Bnei Brak are now seasoned warriors in this battle. With G-d’s help, we stood together, shoulder to shoulder, to overcome the ‘second wave’ of this disease, and we will continue to stand together – now, especially, as we seek to help individuals and business owners who have been negatively impacted. We will invest our prayers and efforts as we go forward in order to keep Bnei Brak green.”