To that end, many residents in Ramat Gan have been writing to the mayor, Carmel Shama Hakohen, demanding that he build a wall between Ramat Gan and Bnei Braq, to prevent the entry of COVID-19 from one to the other.
As funny as that is, the Mayor of Ramat Gan responded with a Facebook post saying it ain't gonna happen.
Shama Hakohen explained that only the police and the army have the authority to seal off a city or neighborhood. He said people can stop writing to him demanding he build such a wall or separation fence on the border with Bnei Braq, because he does not have the authority to build it, and definitely not the time to build one now.
Hakohen goes on to talk about the spread of the virus and the necessity to stay in to avoid infection and further spreading and says the best wall is the walls of your house along with adherence to the rules of the Ministry of Health. In conclusion, Shama Hakohen adds in the comments, walls are built to keep terrorists out, not brothers, and definitely not brothers in a time of need.
It's a funny request, troubling as it is, based on panic created by the incessant news cycle focusing 24/7 on CoronaVirus that people are glued to. His response means nobody will confuse him with Donald Trump.
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Not a funny request, I understand the concerns of the residents of Ramat Gan. Given the extremely high rate of COVID-19 in Bnei Braq (I think it is 500% the national average), I would be extremely concerned if there were people from Bnei Braq shopping in the same supermarket as me. Even with gloves, if someone with COVID-19 touched their face with their gloved hands, or sneezed, and then touched a package or trolley in a supermarket, they could infect the next person in the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way to physically build a wall or even police barrier between Ramat Gan and Bnei Braq, but I certainly understand their concerns.