I’m reluctant to reach out at the risk of inserting myself in what is already a complex and dangerous situation, and I’m thankful for all the effort put into ensuring the safety of our children and community. However, it appears that another shutdown is no longer “if” but rather “when.” As a parent of young children, I hope the yeshiva considers a partial closure based on alternating schedules or based on age rather than a full schoolwide shutdown. The idea of children ages 4 and 5 spending hours per day on Zoom while their parents try to work until either a vaccine is widely available or this virus miraculously disappears is not a viable option.

The main reason I am reaching out is because I feel there is a flaw in the overall approach being taken by schools, shuls and even government agencies. The idea that closing specific institutions will prevent an outbreak has already proven not to work. After yeshivas and shuls closed last March, we continued to see an increase in COVID-19 cases for two to three months. There are also entire countries the did not impose a lockdown and yet COVID-19 cases remained low (https://abcn.ws/2ZITmnD). Even Governor Cuomo who has been cautious to reopen has stated that keeping everyone home was likely not “the best public health strategy” (https://fxn.ws/3kgCQCU). It’s even possible that a large percentage of positive test results are actually false (https://nyti.ms/2H5FnBO).

I understand that yeshivas and shuls do not want to be the cause of spreading this virus, but there is a strong possibility that closing these institutions will cause a greater spread. What will happen when entire families are home together for weeks and months? Especially as the weather becomes colder, people will not be able to stay within the walls of their home 24/7. They will look for other outlets and social opportunities and these settings will certainly be without the safety measures (plexiglass, masks, temperature checks etc.) which the schools have implemented. If you want to keep this virus from spreading throughout our community, don’t close.

The other aspect which I hope you consider is the economic downfall that will undeniably hit our community if parents find themselves home again running Zooms, making lunches and helping with projects while trying to work. In the event of another shutdown, I expect to find myself without work either because my company is forced to reduce their payroll expense or because I’m not contributing professionally while I run my own daycare and kindergarten at the same time. A second shutdown will create a financial crisis that could cripple the yeshivas. The tuition crisis is always a topic of discussion, but the situation will reach new levels of desperation if schools close again.

I realize I am not a doctor or medical professional but the one thing we should all agree on is that there is no correct approach to prevent COVID-19 from spreading and that no one knows the best way to handle this. Even the Gaza strip, one of the most blockaded (aka quarantined) places in the world has seen cases of COVID-19 but despite being one of the mostly densely populated places, the virus hasn’t spread widely. This virus defies logic while medical science contradicts itself. I hope that the yeshiva remains open while offering virtual options for those uncomfortable with sending their kids to schools.