Minyan Guidance In Your Community

[moko]

Sounds nice, but NYC isn’t rewriting the equivalent of the fire code just so we can have ברוב עם for Shavuos.

Massachusetts set capacities for houses of worship  at 40% as of today

[AsherO]

Massachusetts set capacities for houses of worship  at 40% as of today

I like it, and I’m all for it happening in NYC, but I don’t think it’ll happen for the reasons I’ve cited.

[ari3]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/08/churches-pause-federal-lawsuit-against-whitmer-after-most-recent-order/3096810001/
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/18/judge-tosses-coronavirus-restrictions-by-oregon-governor-265440
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/05/16/coronavirus-update-us/

It looks like some of these lawsuits are starting to have an effect.

One would assume that is whats driving other states to finally start issuing exceptions for religious services

[avromie7]

I like it, and I’m all for it happening in NYC, but I don’t think it’ll happen for the reasons I’ve cited.

A percentage of occupancy should make sense, it can be specific to each type of building. Don't compare a theater and a house of worship, for example a house of worship can be 50% of maximum occupancy and a theater can be 25%.

[AsherO]

A percentage of occupancy should make sense, it can be specific to each type of building. Don't compare a theater and a house of worship, for example a house of worship can be 50% of maximum occupancy and a theater can be 25%.

AFAIK shelter-in-place orders are still in effect, only essential businesses are operational, im not sure what occupancy guidance is for those. Theaters aren’t opening by Shavuos so they won’t be releasing the same guidelines for Shavuos. Like I said before they see this as a limited exception/accommodation they’re making for Shuls, and they’re going to err on the side of caution.

I’m not trying to defend or justify their rationale, just saying I don’t expect them to “give” more than the “max 15 per Shul” before Shavuos, whether it makes sense or not.

[Sam Finkelstein]

A percentage of occupancy should make sense, it can be specific to each type of building. Don't compare a theater and a house of worship, for example a house of worship can be 50% of maximum occupancy and a theater can be 25%.

How do you easily calculate this? Fire code capacity has different considerations than social distancing capacity.

[Sam Finkelstein]

On what basis are we assuming NYC Shuls will be open for Shavuos? Hizzoner said not to expect any sort of reopening till June.

[AsherO]

Theaters are a close-ish analogy to Shuls because people have set seats and are present for an extended amount of time. The only catch is that in Shul people don’t really sit put in their assigned seats like they tend to in theaters...

[Sam Finkelstein]

Theaters are a close-ish analogy to Shuls because people have set seats and are present for an extended amount of time. The only catch is that in Shul people don’t really sit put in their assigned seats like they tend to in theaters...

Totally depends on the shul/crowd. Ironically, those crowds that can stay still are nowhere close to opening their Shuls.

[JMHO]

Totally depends on the shul/crowd. Ironically, those crowds that can stay still are nowhere close to opening their Shuls.

Which crowds are those?

[Sam Finkelstein]

Which crowds are those?

To the left of Yeshivish/Chassidish.

[avromie7]

The primary factor in fire code is square footage, based on it should be simple to figure out what it takes to keep social distancing.

[AsherO]

The primary factor in fire code is square footage, based on it should be simple to figure out what it takes to keep social distancing.

What about egress?

[aygart]

A percentage of occupancy should make sense, it can be specific to each type of building. Don't compare a theater and a house of worship, for example a house of worship can be 50% of maximum occupancy and a theater can be 25%.

Theaters are a close-ish analogy to Shuls because people have set seats and are present for an extended amount of time. The only catch is that in Shul people don’t really sit put in their assigned seats like they tend to in theaters...

What people do in shuls is also different. In a shul people are talking and singing etc. which leads to greater levels of aerosols than in a theatre where they are basically sitting quietly. On the other hand, people walking around may be more of an advantage than a disadvantage considering that it may lead to more passive exposure and less prolonged exposure. See this post.

What kind of exposure?
This is visible in various studies as well.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/opinions/eye-opening-south-korea-study-on-covid-19-sepkowitz/index.html
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/8/20-1274_article

While those who sat in the same area of the office were infected at a very high rate, their family members were only infected at about a 16% rate while the floor of the office building had an infection rate of 44%. If you count only the infected side then it reaches a rate of 58% by the time it was caught. An interesting point is that in the entire side of the office there are only 2 infected seats without another infected right next to or across from it. Much of this setup is very comparable to a shul and shows how the risks in a shul are MUCH higher than the risks in a home or store.

[NTorch]

Italian synagogues and churches reopen, but with fewer worshippers allowed
Houses of worship reopen in northern Italy, one of the areas hit hardest by the coronavirus.

The main synagogue of Milan reopened Monday per guidelines agreed-upon last week with government officials, Moked, the Italian-Jewish news site, reported. Synagogues also have reopened in Rome and Florence at least.

Italian shops, hairdressers and restaurants also opened Monday, ending a 10-week lockdown. About 32,000 people in Italy have died from COVID-19.

In Milan, congregants must register in advance with the rabbi’s office to ensure their number does not exceed the new capacity of each synagogue under social distancing protocols, said the community’s president, Milo Hasbani.

At Hasbani’s Beit Menachem synagogue, the capacity was more than halved to a limit of 28 worshippers in the men’s section and 12 in the women’s.

Worshippers at Milan synagogues are not allowed to bring their own kippot, prayer shawls or other religious items. Instead they receive a sanitized kit at the entrance, which they leave for disinfection when they go. They must wear face masks and sanitize their hands before entering.

Children under 13 may not enter the Beit Menachem synagogue for the time being. Its doors remain open during services.

To reserve a seat for Shabbat prayers, worshippers must register by noon Tuesday, according to instructions sent to community members.

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/280471

[aygart]

Worshippers at Milan synagogues are not allowed to bring their own kippot, prayer shawls or other religious items. Instead they receive a sanitized kit at the entrance, which they leave for disinfection when they go. They must wear face masks and sanitize their hands before entering.

Interesting

[ari3]

Worshippers at Milan synagogues are not allowed to bring their own kippot, prayer shawls or other religious items. Instead they receive a sanitized kit at the entrance, which they leave for disinfection when they go. They must wear face masks and sanitize their hands before entering.

Why would wearing my own tallis or kippah be different than wearing my own shirt and hat?

[etech0]

Why would wearing my own tallis or kippah be different than wearing my own shirt and hat?

Don't give them ideas

[EliJelly]

Why would wearing my own tallis or kippah be different than wearing my own shirt and hat?

Like asking why shopping is different .. They take care of the religious aspect 

[Lurker]

Chabad of Houston, TX and Coral Springs, FL had their reopening guidelines published on Lubavitch news sites. Both looked very similar to each other, and will probably be used as a blueprint for other Chabad communities in areas not hit especially hard.