The family of a student confirmed with COVID-19 on Monday said the slow government response to a coronavirus outbreak led to the infection of over 200 students at the Beith Matityahu yeshiva in Bnei Brak.
"One student went to a wedding where he became ill with the virus and infected others in the yeshiva," said Yaron Kdoshim, the father of a student confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.
"There should have been immediate intervention to stop the continued spread of the disease among students and teachers," he said.
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Beit Matityahu Yeshiva in Bnei Brak closed off after over 200 students were infected with COVID -19
(Photo: Itay Blumenthal)
"They enabled a COVID-19 incubator to exist in one of the most crowded cities in the country," Kdoshim said.
Students confirmed to have been infected were being transported to dedicated hotels for isolation and treatment over the past couple of days, with officials claiming anyone who has been infected by the virus would be out of the yeshiva by the end of Monday.
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Beit Matityahu yeshiva in Bnei Brak after over 200 coronavirus cases detected
(Photo: Courtesy of Yaron Kdoshim)
The government agreed not to close down religious institutions despite new restrictions that will be re-imposed on gyms, night clubs, bars, and events halls after ultra-Orthodox members of the coalition threatened to pull out of the government if religious studies were affected.
According to Channel 12, the yeshivas, which are often packed with students learning in close proximity, were originally included on the list of sites to close as part of the new measures.