Rav Gershon Edelstein gave a shiur last night about appropriate behavior and what people should be doing at this stage of Corona, with schools and yeshivas restarting.

In it he said something very interesting, and a bit surprising.

Rav Edelstein said that the reason why the Haredi community was hit much worse with Corona deaths, both in Israel and around the world, than others is because as the Chazon Ish said that someone not religious who sins, he is considered as having sinned accidentally. he is a shogeg. That does not deserve much of a punishment. He had no way to know better. Someone frum, a Haredi Jew, who sins - he gets the status of meizid - someone who sinned intentionally. Sinning intentionally is much worse and the Haredim are getting the judgement of Hashem much worse than others because of that.
source: Kikar


That is a very strong statement (though I appreciate it more than statements blaming others such as women and tzniyus, others who speak in shul or lashon hara or others who arent frum enough, etc). I wonder if we find such a thing at other times - other plagues or national or global calamities - that the Haredi community was hit much harder than others and can see any similar pattern. On the one hand, it might make people want to not be frum, as why put yourself in such a position for much harsher judgement just by the nature of your status. On the other hand, the flip side is that the reward must be that much greater as well.