Locking Down Neighborhoods Defined by Race or Religion

By: Neta Kazaz

A few weeks ago, a full lockdown was enacted on Bnei Brak the city with most Coronavirus patients to resident ratio - 856.3 patients to 100,000 residents.

Many believe this lockdown wasn't because of the race or religious belief of the residents of Bnei Brak, I believe it was because of the rapid spread of the Coronavirus in the crowded and constrained city and the desire to prevent it from spreading to other cities. Others may think there is some correlation, for whatever reason, with the level of religiosity and the extent of the virus outbreak, either because of the lack of access to outside information, a general distrust of the government, or the close-knit nature of religious life. But the important thing is that there shouldn't be a lockdown on a neighborhood solely on the bases of its residents’ belief or race.

To this end, the government needs to prevent its residents, no matter their religion or race, from endangering themselves or their neighbors. The government needs to appreciate every community’s situation and make sure that interact with them appropriately such that the necessary messages are understood and appreciated.

Secondly, the government needs to limit neighborhood lockdowns to those areas that are affected and take pains to not preemptively lock down neighborhoods where religion might be one of many factors in increased spread of the disease. It is integral that the current situation not be used to further deepen the communal mistrust between secular and religious.

Legally, lockdowns based on race or religions are problematic for their discriminatory nature under the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. Under this law, any action that the government takes to limit anyone’s movement regardless of race or religion needs to ultimately be proportional to the need.

Clearly a lockdown solely based on race or religion is not proportional especially when there are other methods to prevent the spreading of the coronavirus. One solution for example is to perform more tests in order to know the exact magnitude of the pandemic and the exact location of outbreak centers.