“A couple of days later” they spoke with the synagogue’s leadership, though the exact date is unclear from the email. “Though we received no instruction to do so, my entire family began self-quarantine at that point,” the community member writes. By March 11, the individual had a cough but no fever and got tested for coronavirus at their doctor’s recommendation. The next morning, March 12, an email from Herzfeld and other leaders announced that after “speaking directly with the Mayor’s office,” they were canceling all social gatherings of 30 people or more. But the Saturday morning Shabbat service scheduled for March 14, which typically draws 100 to 200 people, would still go on, the announcement said. The only change was that the service would start at 8:15 a.m., an hour earlier than normal. “We strongly encourage people to follow the guidelines of DC Health in determining if it is appropriate for you to attend services,” the email says. At this point, Bowser had declared a public health emergency, DC Health recommended against non-essential mass gatherings of 1,000 people or more, and the Ohev Sholom community member had alerted the synagogue to their exposure but did not have their positive test results back. Although the synagogue could technically comply with the guidance to avoid gatherings of 1,000 people or more, Herzfeld says he called the mayor asking for clarification. “Earlier we were following the city’s guidelines, and the city never told anybody to close,” Herzfeld says. “Then we called up the mayor and said ‘what should we do?’ That was Thursday afternoon. She said ‘it would be best to close.’” Herzfeld emailed his members the following morning, less than 12 hours after canceling only some gatherings. Twenty-five minutes later, Herzfeld sent another email notifying the community that an unidentified attendee of its Shabbat service on March 7 tested positive for coronavirus. “It is our understanding that the congregant was in the synagogue for less than one hour, that the congregant was not symptomatic at that time, and that close contacts have been informed,” the email, signed by Herzfeld and Maharat Ruth Friedman, says. On March 14, the community member received their positive test result and immediately notified the synagogue’s leadership, according to their email to the listserv. The person also moved from “home quarantine” to “home isolation.” They now stay in a bedroom and are “monitored by government authorities via various telehealth check-ins to ensure isolation,” their email to the listserv says. On Sunday afternoon, March 15, the synagogue’s leaders sent an update that alerted their congregants to “at least 3 confirmed positive cases among our members.” The email indicates that on March 7, a person attended a service in the main sanctuary from 10:15 to 11 a.m. and started to show symptoms later that day. Another person at-
tended shiva, a gathering to mourn a death, typically at a residence, on the evening of March 7, but did not show symptoms until two days later, according to the synagogue’s email. The third person attended a shiva gathering on the morning of March 6 and since then “has been quarantined at home,” according to the synagogue’s email. City Paper could not confirm whether the third person referenced in the synagogue’s email is the community member whose diagnosis is detailed here. “The most important take-away is that the virus has certainly reached our community and that it is imperative for all of us to practice social distancing measures,” Ohev Sholom leaders write in the March 15 email. Later that evening, at 10:16 p.m., the synagogue emailed its members again after consulting with medical professionals and recommended anyone who attended the shiva gatherings on Friday morning, March 6, and Saturday night, March 7, should self-quarantine until March 20 or 21. “We apologize for the shifting guidance, but recommendations are being frequently revised and updated based on experience in the field,” the email says. “Please contact your health provider if you need additional medical advice.” Before noon the following day, March 16, the synagogue emailed again, alerting its members to a fourth case. The community member’s email arrived about an hour later, encouraging communication and transparency. “News about coronavirus should not be a secret!” they write. The community member writes that they have mild symptoms, including a cough but no fever, and spend hours each day on the phone with D.C. public health authorities. “As the virus expands, I cannot imagine that this degree of monitoring is sustainable (as the people with whom I have spoken have acknowledged),” they write. “I am told that after I am symptom-free, I will be tested twice again at 24-hour intervals and then released.” Authorities are not testing the other people in the household, the community member writes, adding that they expect other members of the household to be released from quarantine in less than two weeks. “Whether these measures are going to get eased, tightened, or otherwise changed is impossible to know,” they write. “In the meantime, I would like to echo the calls that everyone simply assume at this point that they have been exposed in some way … and take whatever steps to limit your interaction with others.” In a phone interview Wednesday, Herzfeld says he is still only aware of the four positive cases, but he is certain there will be more. As the pandemic progresses, he says he is relying on guidance from a committee made of doctors who are members at the synagogue and the advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which, if the past week is prologue, could change again. CP
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