After the meeting of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations, which did not take any decision on the mass celebration of the Jewish new year in Uman, but only instructed the departments to ensure the safety and awareness of pilgrims, a wave of indignation rose in the Cherkasy region at the position of the central government.
This was reported by Voice of Ukraine.
In particular, the mayor of Uman, Oleksandr Tsebriy, in a video message to the President of Ukraine, noted that when deciding to allow or ban mass pilgrimage of Hasidim, first of all, it is necessary to consider the opinion of the local territorial community. However, not a single employee of the City Council or other specialists who were responsible for organizing the pilgrimage to Uman for many years were invited to the meeting of the State Commission.
Mayor of Cherkasy Anatoly Bondarenko, the head of the regional cell of the Association of Cities of Ukraine, also reached out to the Head of State.
Supporting his colleague from Uman, he noted that the arrival of 5--10 thousand Hasidim in Uman and the crowded celebration of the Jewish new year on September 18, in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic, poses a threat not only to the Cherkasy region but also to entire Ukraine.
The proposal to cancel this year's Hasidic pilgrimage to Uman was also made by Ukrainian MP Anton Yatsenko, who represents the Uman constituency in the Parliament.
Last Saturday, under the walls of the City Council, a People's Viche was held, at which the residents of Uman called on the leaders of the state to consider the danger of a large number of foreign citizens during the pilgrimage and their disregard for basic sanitary standards.
In her speech at the meeting, the infectiologist reminded the authorities that in Uman the first patient to get a coronavirus infection was a Hasidim who came in the spring with a large family to the grave of Tzadik Nahman. Due to complications caused by COVID-19, a 46-year-old foreigner died, and his wife and four children flatly refused to be tested for coronavirus. Only with the help of the police was it possible to collect biological samples from them, which later turned out to be positive for COVID-19.
The mayor of Uman during the Viche once again appealed to Kyiv to start interstate negotiations on the issue of Hasidic pilgrimage.
"This spring, due to the pandemic and strict quarantine restrictions, we celebrated Easter online, did not attend services in churches," Oleksandr Tsebriy said. -- Why not hold the meeting of the Jewish new year, given the spread of coronavirus infection, in a different format? When COVID-19 is overcome globally and in Ukraine in particular, we will be happy to welcome guests at any time of the year, as it was always the case."
Meanwhile, some residents of Uman no longer hope that their warnings will be heard in the office of the President and the government. People rely only on themselves.
As soon as buses with pilgrims arrive from the airport to Uman, we need to save our children. We will block the movement of vehicles on the highway, the most determined citizens said during the public assembly.