City Agents Issue More Than 62 Summons That Total More Than $150,000 in Fines

By Yehudit Garmaise 

  Over Yom Tov, New York City agents issued more 62 summonses that totaled more than $150,000 in fines in the zones that Gov. Cuomo last week called red, orange, and yellow to indicate, in descending order, the seriousness of upticks of COVID and the intensifications of restrictions.  

    At least five of those summonses were given to congregations that were not in compliance with Gov. Cuomo’s restrictions, the city said.

   Tosh and Munkach were among the dozens of shuls in Boro Park that were issued summonses for noncompliance with Gov. Cuomo’s executive order last week that restrict attendance at houses of worship in red zones to 25% capacity, or a maximum of 10 people.

   Gov. Cuomo additionally, closed the public and private schools, non-essential businesses, and said that restaurants are now limited to take-out only.

  Last week’s crackdown came amid alarming spikes in COVID-19 cases from Borough Park, Brooklyn, to Kew Gardens, Queens. New York State also has identified red zones in Broome, Orange and Rockland counties.

    New York state last week had a very low COVID positivity rate of 0.84%, however, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that the red zone areas had a positivity rate of 5.74% on Shabbos and a positivity rate of 6.13% over the past week.

  As consequences to violating his restrictions, Gov. Cuomo also decreed that any people conducting mass gatherings will be fined up to $15,00 per day, and anyone not wearing masks, can be fined up to $1,000 per day.