happenings at achiezer

Achiezer COVID-19 Update- Friday 3/13 1 PM
March 13, 2020
Dear Community Members:

As we wrote yesterday at 4 PM, the current situation with COVID19 is fluid and subject to change at an hourly rate. Our goal has been to streamline all relevant updates and help keep you, the community, as safe as possible.

Most of the community is aware that the testing process has been lagging and hard to procure. The fact remains; as more testing becomes available, we will have more positive cases within the community. We are currently aware of several community members who are symptomatic, have been tested and whose results have not yet come back. While thankfully, none of these people are hospitalized or seriously ill, we promised to share all information.

We are in close contact with the Governor's office, who advised us that they are ramping up testing throughout NYS. Just moments ago, the Governor formally opened the State's first drive-through COVID-19 mobile testing center in New Rochelle. The mobile testing center will test up to 200 people today, growing to 500 people per day in the coming days.

The State is also contracting with BioReference Labs to run an additional 5,000 tests per day- five times the state's target goal when this outbreak first came to New York. This is on top of the testing that will be conducted at the 28 public and private labs across the state and the out of state labs that New York is already contracting with. This will hopefully all be up and running by mid-next week.

To those of you who have been denied testing by local Urgent Care Centers, please call (888) 364-3065 and request testing. You can also contact your own physicians as necessary, or 911/Hatzalah in case of emergency.

Finally, as stated all week, as we continue to lean on the guidance of infectious disease experts in the field, such as Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, despite his recommendation yesterday that following the CDC would be sufficient, Rabbi Dr. Glatt now recommends that the community shuls be closed for this Shabbos and, out of an abundance of caution, this should include home minyanim as well. His decision is based on new medical reports and updates from within the hospital he works in. We understand that all shuls may not follow this recommendation, thus we request that you refer to your Rav and/or shul leadership for specific details.

This recommendation is not meant to panic or alarm people but rather to ensure that we do everything in our power to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Finally, at the behest of our guiding physicians, please do not congregate in any meeting place or otherwise if you have even the slightest bit of cold, cough or illness. UNDERSTAND that you are putting others' lives at risk.

We understand that you may have questions regarding the foregoing. Please feel free to e-mail info@achiezer.org with any questions and someone will respond in a timely manner. Please refrain from using our 24 hour hotline for non emergent matters.

Wishing the entire community a peaceful and restful Shabbos,

Team Achiezer


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