An estimated 10,000 people are expected to attend the wedding of the grandchild of the Satmar Rebbe in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on Monday, CBS-affiliate WBCS reported Saturday.
The wedding of the grandchild of Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitlebaum likely will have guests from Williamsburg and Rockland County, raising fears that coronavirus could spread in the area, the report said.
There has been a recent spike in coronavirus cases in New York, particularly in a few hot spots, including some haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhoods. The wedding is not in one of these hot spots, but worries still persist.
The New York City Sheriff’s Department has ordered the wedding be canceled or postponed if it is not limited to 50 people, WCBS reported.
There is heightened concern over a potential spike in cases following a gathering last Sunday in the heavily hassidic town of New Square in Rockland County in which thousands of attendees did not adhere strictly to guidelines for social distancing and the wearing of masks, WCBS reported.
The gathering could have been the cause of higher infection rates, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. Rockland County’s red zones, including New Square, have had more spikes in positive test results, he said.
“Some of the complexity of the enforcement here, especially with members of the Orthodox community, [is that] they never comply with the rules,” Cuomo said.