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Virus enforcement task force to begin patrolling for mask violations in Rockland County

Virus enforcement task force to begin patrolling for mask violations in Rockland County 1

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY – As coronavirus cases continue to spike in various areas across New York state, Rockland County is taking their response to stop the spread one step further by putting together a “COVID cluster enforcement task force.”

According to reports, after getting repeated complaints by the state and county, the town of Ramapo and Village of Spring Valley have committed personnel to this “task force” that will be patrolling Rockland’s red zone. Ramapo Town Supervisor Michael Specht said in a statement:

“We just had online training. Our employees will go out Monday morning.”

Specht added that six full-time code enforcement and parking enforcement workers are not dedicated to the task force, including at least one person who is fluent in Yiddish. He said that another five part-time town workers will be made available in the coming week, if the state needs them.

News12 reported that the six employees who have gone through the training to become part of the COVID-19 enforcement task force have the ability to hand out fines of up to $15,000.

Allegedly, due to a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, Governor Andrew Cuomo launched these “red zone” areas that included portions of Ramapo. The Village of Spring Valley, located within Ramapo, saw one of the biggest spikes in the entire state.

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As a result, strict regulations and guidelines were issued, schools have been closed, and religious gatherings are now limited to just 10 people. Each regulation has been designed to help stop the spread of the virus, but non-compliance has been a problem.

Ramapo city officials are hopeful that with more eyes watching people, more will be likely to comply with the rules. Specht said in a statement:

“They’ll be going out in teams of twos and threes to visit sites to monitor for compliance and to do enforcement if there is a lack of compliance.”

Spring Valley deputy village attorney Jeffrey Millman said that village workers were out with the governor’s task force. He said in a statement:

“We have visited several locations to ensure compliance with the executive order of the governor.”

Rockland County staff from the Department of Health and Fire and Emergency Services also recently took part in the New York State Police Task Force. County spokesman John Lyon said:

“Monday we will be adding Consumer Protection staff to bring our total contribution to 15.”

Allegedly, Specht is blaming crossed wires and miscommunication, plus the crunch of Jewish holidays for the town’s delayed participation in the new regulations. He said that he initially thought the New York State Police Task Force in charge of the enforcement was seeking local police partners.

However, local officers have been stretched thin as they have been dealing with road closures to discourage crowds and other safety patrols. He said:

“We realized they were happy to have non-police officers. We had extensive conversations Wednesday with people from the state and we cleared up any questions and we’re ready to be a part of it.”

Cuomo recently singled out Ramapo and Spring Valley as he announced that he would pull state funding for schools that remained opened in the red zone and the local governments that facilitated it. Citing reports of yeshivas remaining opened, he said in a statement:

“If the local government does not effectively enforce the law, we will withhold funding from the local government.”

The citations issued by the task force carry civil penalties up to $1,000 for failure to wear a face covering or social distance and $15,000 for organizers of mass gatherings. State officials have not reported how many citations have been issued in Rockland since the enforcement initiative that began on October 9th. 

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NEW YORK CITY, NY- Five Orthodox Jewish institutions were each fined $15,000 for violating coronavirus health restrictions by having more than 10 people inside their religious facilities.

According to reports, for five hours, approximately 300 Orthodox congregants, led by a rabbi, who has tested positive for COVID-19, packed into the Bobov-45 synagogue on Friday, October 10th, without masks and despite Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D-NY) recent move to limit gatherings in houses of worship to 25% capacity or 10 people maximum. 

Mordechai Dovid Unger, the grand rabbi of the Hasidic dynasty, led the ceremony from behind a plexiglass shield. In a recent Instagram post, the local news site BoroPark24 reported that Unger had tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms. 

According to reports, two members of the Bobov-45 community said that they were shocked by Unger’s decision to return to the synagogue for full service. One of them who attended the service said:

“My reaction was, ‘that’s very selfish and unethical and just crazy.’”

Another member of the community said:

“I used to be there all the time, but it’s just not safe. They’re not doing the right thing”

Six coronavirus clusters have cropped up in Brooklyn, Queens, Broome, Orange, and Rockland counties. The state has recently closed schools and non-essential businesses in those areas as well as limited gatherings of large numbers.

Cuomo’s decision to limit the capacity of large gatherings, including religious services in the “cluster” zone, has outraged many in the Orthodox community, prompting fierce protests that have erupted into violence.

Allegedly, a lawsuit that was filed by an ultra-Orthodox party seeking a restraining order on the Governor’s decision was rejected by a judge.

Another person who attended the religious services said:

“It seems like no one’s concerned. Everyone believes they got the virus already.”

Both Cuomo and de Blasio have repeatedly promised a large-scale enforcement effort in cluster areas, however, that has yet to be seen until recently with the mayor announcing that houses or worship that do not comply with the new restrictions could be fined $15,000 per day.

Some Hasidic health care workers have warned that the festivities, such as observing Hoshana Rabbah and the final day of Sukkot could accelerate the spread of the virus. Blima Marcus, an ultra-Orthodox nurse practitioner in Borough Park said:

“I don’t see how that can end well.”

The Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn also sued the state in federal court, claiming that Cuomo’s plan would effectively force over two dozen of its churches to close its doors. U.S. District Judge Eric Komitee called the case a “difficult decision,” but essentially sided with Cuomo in denying the church’s request for a temporary restraining order.

Komitee said in his ruling:

“The government is afforded wide latitude in managing the spread of deadly diseases under the Supreme Court’s precedent.”

Fox News reported that the number of New Yorkers hospitalized with the coronavirus continues to rise, which is one of the reasons authorities heightened their focus on banning mass gatherings in COVID-19 hotspots.

Cuomo recently announced that 826 people were hospitalized, which is the highest number since July 15th. On Friday, October 10th, state officials said that eight New Yorkers died from COVID-19. 

Since the crackdown on large gatherings, law enforcement officials have delivered 60 summonses. The new restrictions are in place for at least two weeks. They will not be lifted until the infection rate trend reverts to the numbers New York saw over the summer.

BROOKLYN, NY- Last week, Governor Andrew Cuomo implemented new anti-Covid-19 measures to try to stop hot spot clusters in Brooklyn, Queens, and several New York City suburbs from spreading further. These clusters happen to be within the Orthodox Jewish community, and they are not happy about the restrictions. 

Law Enforcement Today reported last week that Governor Cuomo proclaimed that he had spoken to members of the mentioned community prior to announcing his latest set of restrictions on October 6th, referring to the interaction as a “good” dialogue:

“I spoke to members of the Orthodox Jewish community today. I spoke to the leaders myself this morning. We had a very good conversation…I have been very close to the Orthodox community for many years. I understand the imposition this is going to place on them, and I said to them I need their cooperation.”

A recent statement released by Agudath Israel, which is an organization that represents the Haredi Orthodox communities, coined this “good conversation” that Governor Cuomo had with members of the community as more of a “monologue”:

“It should be made clear that the Governor’s reference to a ‘good conversation’ he had with a group of Orthodox Jewish leaders was largely a one-way monologue and contained no mention of this new plan.”

To show their frustration, some members of the Orthodox Jewish community took to the streets, to protests in the Borough Park neighborhood for several nights. 

Jewish Insider reporter Jacob Kornbluh claimed on Twitter, that during protests on Wednesday night, October 7th, he was brutally assaulted by a well known protester named Harold “Heshy” Tischler.

Kornbluh claimed that:

“[Tischler] recognized me and ordered the crowd to chase me down the street.”

Tischler is a candidate for New York City Council.  He’s also a supporter of President Trump as well as an outspoken critic of social distancing restrictions.

Kornbluh reported the incident, and Tischler was taken into custody Sunday evening in connection with an alleged assault.

Kornbluh tweeted that he was hit in the head and kicked by members of the crowd at Wednesday night’s protests. He thanked “heroic police officers” for saving him.

On Sunday, October 11th, a New York City Police Department spokesman confirmed Tischler’s arrest on Twitter, saying: 

“The New York City Police Department Warrant Squad has taken Harold ‘Heshy’ Tischler into custody. He will be charged with inciting to riot and unlawful imprisonment in connection with an assault of a journalist that took place on October 7, 2020 in Brooklyn,” 

According to MSN, Tischler tweeted a video last week that he would be “arrested Monday” or will be turning himself in for inciting a riot. “I’ll be taken in Monday morning, I’ll be going into prison.”

He said he would be pleading not guilty because:

“I did not commit this crime of violence, nobody was arrested that night.”

He continued:

“I’m thinking maybe let them come get me,”

Kornbluh told CNN Friday that Tischler’s account of the events are “inaccurate” and maintains that it will be confirmed once the investigation is complete.

Kornbluh said:

“I have shared my communications with him with authorities and have faith in the process,” 

The New York Post has now reported that protester’s are gathering outside the home of Kornbluh, and the NYPD are protecting his residence. 

—

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