Borough Park
Borough ParkFlash 90

New York is preparing for a second wave of coronavirus, and the haredi neighborhoods are once again in the headlines, after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to reimpose restrictions on nine neighborhoods, including in areas with large Orthodox Jewish populations.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, a resident of Borough Park said that there is currently no high rate of infection in the neighborhood and that the feeling among the residents is that all the regulations are tainted with politics.

"We hear about infections here and there. The infection rate is not high. These are mainly people who were not infected in the first wave. I have not heard of cases of re-infection. There are also people who are in hospitals. However, this is not the catastrophe that characterized the first wave and there are no signs that we are headed in that direction,” said the resident.

He added that the Hasidic public in Brooklyn does not adopt the social distancing guidelines, much like in Israel. "Businesses, educational institutions, restaurants have operated normally in recent months. The only difference is that unlike in Israel, the enforcement here is not serious. Given the fact that most locals walk around with a mask and that is less prevalent in the haredi neighborhoods - it certainly stood out."

He said the residents' feeling is that the guidelines are political. "If you are a Republican and a Trump supporter - you will try to ease the guidelines. If you are a Democrat - you will fight to tighten them. Here in Brooklyn most residents are 'Trumpists'. They do not believe in the guidelines. On the other hand, Mayor Bill de Blasio belongs to the Democrats. Hence the great friction."

De Blasio has faced previously criticism for his handling of the virus response among the city's Jewish residents.

In April, de Blasio caused an uproar when he threatened "the Jewish community" with summons and arrest after a large crowd of Hasidic Jews gathered for a rabbi's funeral in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood.

The Mayor later apologized to the Jewish community and said, "I regret if the way I said it in any way gave people the feeling that they were being treated the wrong way.”

"It was said with love, but it was tough love," de Blasio added. He also said, "Members of the Jewish community were putting each other in danger and putting our police officers in danger."

In a subsequent conference call with Orthodox Jewish media outlets, the Mayor said he is not planning to delete the initial tweet which caused the uproar, arguing that doing so would turn the saga into “a new story”.

He added, however, that he is open to discussing what to do and expressed his regrets on the wording of the tweet.

Sunday’s announcement came several days after residents of Orthodox Jewish areas of New York said they feel attacked or insulted, accusing authorities of creating a stigma based on their faith.