New York City officials issued over $150,000 in fines during the first weekend of tighter coronavirus restrictions, according to The New York Times. Five houses of worship and an illegal outdoor rave hosting over 110 people were cited for health code violations as the city tries to stem rising case counts in some neighborhoods, many with large Orthodox Jewish communities. Gov. Andrew Cuomo appealed to religious leaders to follow the rules. “I understand the desire to hold large religious ceremonies. I understand how important it is to their culture and to their religion,” he said Sunday. “I also understand that it, as a matter of fact, jeopardizes human life.” There were rowdy protests in Brooklyn’s Borough Park neighborhood last week, and an Orthodox group filed a legal challenge to the new restrictions—but the courts rejected that lawsuit, and one filed by the Catholic Church.
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