12 November 2020 Jewish News
www.jewishnews.co.uk
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Lockdown 2.0 / News Israel joining in on some Zoom activities!” On the job losses, he said activities “transformed overnight” in March and that while the charity had hoped and planned for a return to normal this autumn, the increasing infection rates – especially in Barnet and Redbridge – meant they needed a Plan B. “It’s heartbreaking not being able to open them,” said Carmel-Brown of the centres. “I grew up in that part of the organisation and know the significance these services play in the individual communities where they operate. “But it is not a situation of our making. It’s been imposed upon us by the environment we’re all living in. “We’re under huge pressure, with a large workforce, sitting on empty buildings. Hopefully our interim structure will even enhance what we offer.” On his feeling of responsibility, he added that “my job and the job of the trustees is to make sure that we are custodians of the charity and its charitable resources, to make sure we are here for the future, and that has meant making some very difficult decisions recently”,
citing a care home closure in September. The growth of the charity’s digital programming, which began in earnest when relatives were forbidden from visiting, has expanded horizons and even led to talk of a “digital community centre alongside an actual community centre”. Until then, safety is the priority, with the charity having spent £500,000 on personal protective equipment since March, when early lockdown posed gargantuan staffing problems, with one in four staff members unable to come into work at one point. “We had to generate millions of pounds this summer just to see us through, and we’ve left no stone unturned for winter,” said Carmel-Brown. “We’re wholeheartedly committed to bringing people back when it is safe, but I suspect it’ll look a little bit different. We may not do it exactly as we did previously. Let’s see.” There have been a total of 547 Jewish funerals carried out where the deceased contracted Covid-19, an increase of six on the previous week.
Council sorry for shul advice Hackney Council has apologised after a lockdown leaflet ordered synagogues to close until 2 December, without mentioning that they can stay open for private prayer, writes Joy Faulk. The leaflet, which caused offence in Hackney’s strictly-Orthodox community, was issued in three areas with a large Jewish population and only mentioned synagogues as an example of a place of worship. Now amended, the leaflet was sent out in the first week of November to all homes in the wards of Cazenove, Springfield and Stamford Hill, home to the UK’s biggest strictly Orthodox Jewish community.
It read: “Until at least 2 December, the government has put England under a national lockdown, which means places of worship such as shuls must close unless they are being used for certain exempt activities such as a funeral. Weddings will not be permitted to take place. No communal worship or study groups are permitted.” Jewish councillors were quick to point out that the national guidance on places of worship also lists as an exemption private prayer, prompting a swift U-turn. Hackney’s Conservative Group leader, Councillor Michael Levy from Springfield ward, said the leaflet
contained “mistaken information distributed on Shabbat to targeted households” and called it “a serious error”. Hackney said the three wards were leafleted because they were “the top three for positive cases of coronavirus, while also containing a high proportion of people who are digitally excluded due to cultural reasons”. It said: “The intent of the leaflet was to let people know that England had entered another lockdown and give information on the new laws around this as well as highlighting where people could access support.” The mayor’s office has been approached for comment.
‘VACCINE WON’T BE A MAGIC BULLET’ The editor of respected medical journal The Lancet has told an Israeli audience in Haifa the new Covid-19 vaccine that is reportedly 90 percent effective will be no “magic bullet”. In comments that will echo across the medical field, Richard Horton told the University of Haifa board of governors the announcement from US firm Pfizer and German company BioNTech would not be the final word. Calling it “an interim analysis”, he
said: “It is not the final bottom line on the study. True, it seems there may be a 90 percent effectiveness rate, but we have not seen the full data yet.” Horton, who was speaking after receiving an honorary doctorate from the university, also praised the Chinese medical and scientific community for being “an inspiring part of the story” in the global effort to find a cure for the virus. Despite being “cautiously optimistic”, he said the vaccine “is not going
to be a simple magic bullet to eradicate this coronavirus”, adding the PfizerBioNTech vaccine is one of 11 in the final stages of clinical studies around the world, with another 40 to 50 in early clinical trial developments and 100+ in pre-clinical development. He said developing a vaccine in just 10 months was a huge success, as was a 90 percent effectiveness rate, but expressed concern unregulated vaccines were being given out to Russian, Chinese and Gulf state soldiers.
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