The Wuhan virus is the biggest&nbsp;crisis of the 21st century and it seems to be getting worse.

Several countries across the globe have witnessed a resurgence of the deadly virus due to which governments are imposing a second round of lockdowns.

Even during a pandemic,&nbsp;blind faith is dominating reason due to orthodox people who refuse to part ways with their traditional methods and beliefs.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hasidic-jewish-pilgrims-leave-belarus-ukraine-border-over-coronavirus-ban-328418" hreflang="en">Hasidic Jewish pilgrims leave Belarus-Ukraine border over coronavirus ban</a>

Hundreds of&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;Jewish pilgrims, who had massed along the Belarusian border attempting to enter Ukraine, began leaving Friday after Kiev upheld an entry ban to guard against the coronavirus.

At least 1,000 Orthodox-Jewish believers were camped out this week in no-man's land between Ukrainian and Belarusian border crossings ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations which begin Friday and last until Sunday.

Tens of thousands of&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;movement.

The metropolitan government in&nbsp;South&nbsp;Korea's capital Seoul said on Friday it would seek $4 million&nbsp;in damages against a church for causing the spread of the coronavirus by disrupting tracing and testing efforts.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-defiance-in-the-name-of-faith-putting-reason-above-religion-328517/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

A fresh wave of infections erupted at a church whose members attended a large protest in downtown Seoul in mid-August, becoming the country's largest cluster in the greater capital area. The outbreak has driven triple-digit increases in daily COVID-19 cases for more than a month.

This pandemic is challenging because the world is up against many adversaries: a&nbsp;virus exporter that refuses to come clean, public health systems that aren't up to the task, leaders who want to play politics over lives and people who refuse to put reason over religion.

The Wuhan virus is the biggest crisis of the 21st century and it seems to be getting worse. Several countries across the globe have witnessed a resurgence of the deadly virus due to which governments are imposing a second round of lockdowns.

The Wuhan virus is the biggest crisis of the 21st century and it seems to be getting worse. Several countries across the globe have witnessed a resurgence of the deadly virus due to which governments are imposing a second round of lockdowns. Even during a pandemic, blind faith is dominating reason due to orthodox people who refuse to part ways with their traditional methods and beliefs. Also read: Hasidic Jewish pilgrims leave Belarus-Ukraine border over coronavirus ban Hundreds of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims, who had massed along the Belarusian border attempting to enter Ukraine, began leaving Friday after Kiev upheld an entry ban to guard against the coronavirus. At least 1,000 Orthodox-Jewish believers were camped out this week in no-man's land between Ukrainian and Belarusian border crossings ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations which begin Friday and last until Sunday. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. The metropolitan government in South Korea's capital Seoul said on Friday it would seek $4 million in damages against a church for causing the spread of the coronavirus by disrupting tracing and testing efforts. × A fresh wave of infections erupted at a church whose members attended a large protest in downtown Seoul in mid-August, becoming the country's largest cluster in the greater capital area. The outbreak has driven triple-digit increases in daily COVID-19 cases for more than a month. This pandemic is challenging because the world is up against many adversaries: a virus exporter that refuses to come clean, public health systems that aren't up to the task, leaders who want to play politics over lives and people who refuse to put reason over religion.

Belief versus coronavirus: No vaccine to prevent blind faith

Hundreds of&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;Jewish pilgrims, who had massed along the Belarusian border attempting to enter Ukraine, began leaving Friday after Kiev upheld an entry ban to guard against the coronavirus.

At least 1,000 Orthodox-Jewish believers were camped out this week in no-man's land between Ukrainian and Belarusian border crossings ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations which begin Friday and last until Sunday.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/hasidic-jewish-pilgrims-stuck-on-belarus-ukraine-border-327889/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Tens of thousands of&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;movement.

The standoff between the pilgrims and armed Ukrainian security services sparked tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing and inflamed a diplomatic row between Minsk and Kiev.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/belarus-opposition-leader-to-address-un-on-abuse-allegations-328344" hreflang="en">Belarus opposition leader to address UN on abuse allegations</a>

No exclusion for pilgrims

Ukraine, which has recorded high numbers of new coronavirus cases in recent weeks, imposed a ban on the entry of foreigners on August 26 to September 28 due to the epidemic.

It said the ban was partly in response to a plea from Israel, where many of the pilgrims come from, to limit the event, for fear it would be a coronavirus hotspot.

Belarus, which earlier said the pilgrims should be allowed to visit holy sites in Ukraine, confirmed that some religious believers had given up hope of being allowed to make the crossing.

Belarus's state border committee representative, Anton Bychkovskiy, said that the numbers of pilgrims at border posts "were on the decline".

Diplomatic spat

The believers -- mainly Israeli, but also American and French -- departed for Uman this year even though both the Ukrainian and Israeli governments last month urged them not to travel because of the pandemic.

An Israeli minister on Thursday called on those massed on the border to return home and uphold quarantine rules on arrival in Israel.

Kiev closed its borders for most of the month of September citing a growing number of coronavirus infections, but the pilgrims attempted to bypass the restrictions by&nbsp;travelling through&nbsp;Belarus.

Ukrainian border guards announced Friday they had arrested several pilgrims, including Israeli and US citizens, trying to enter the country illegally from Hungary, Poland and Romania.

Kiev has reported more than 169,000 cases of coronavirus and 3,468 fatalities. On Thursday, officials registered a record one-day increase in infections.

The standoff on the border aggravated already strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which have traded barbs over disputed presidential elections in Belarus last month.

Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko earlier told his officials to negotiate a travel corridor with Ukraine and offered to provide buses to transport religious believers to holy sites in Ukraine.

Kiev in turn accused Belarusian authorities of giving false hope to the&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;pilgrims that they would eventually be allowed to travel to Uman.

Both Ukraine and Israel are keen to avoid a spike in coronavirus infections. Israel is poised to impose a second nationwide lockdown on Friday to tackle one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates, despite public protests over the new blow to the economy.

The three-week shutdown from 1100 GMT starts just hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

Meanwhile, up to 3,000&nbsp;Hasidic&nbsp;Jews have arrived in Uman for the celebrations entering Ukraine before the ban, police said.&nbsp;

Law enforcement has tightened security near Rabbi Nachman's tomb where pilgrims have congregated.&nbsp;

Hundreds of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims, who had massed along the Belarusian border attempting to enter Ukraine, began leaving Friday after Kiev upheld an entry ban to guard against the coronavirus.

Hundreds of Hasidic Jewish pilgrims, who had massed along the Belarusian border attempting to enter Ukraine, began leaving Friday after Kiev upheld an entry ban to guard against the coronavirus. At least 1,000 Orthodox-Jewish believers were camped out this week in no-man's land between Ukrainian and Belarusian border crossings ahead of Jewish New Year celebrations which begin Friday and last until Sunday. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews travel to the central Ukrainian city of Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. The standoff between the pilgrims and armed Ukrainian security services sparked tensions at the Novi Yarylovychi border crossing and inflamed a diplomatic row between Minsk and Kiev. Also read: Belarus opposition leader to address UN on abuse allegations No exclusion for pilgrims Ukraine, which has recorded high numbers of new coronavirus cases in recent weeks, imposed a ban on the entry of foreigners on August 26 to September 28 due to the epidemic. It said the ban was partly in response to a plea from Israel, where many of the pilgrims come from, to limit the event, for fear it would be a coronavirus hotspot. Belarus, which earlier said the pilgrims should be allowed to visit holy sites in Ukraine, confirmed that some religious believers had given up hope of being allowed to make the crossing. Belarus's state border committee representative, Anton Bychkovskiy, said that the numbers of pilgrims at border posts "were on the decline". Diplomatic spat The believers -- mainly Israeli, but also American and French -- departed for Uman this year even though both the Ukrainian and Israeli governments last month urged them not to travel because of the pandemic. An Israeli minister on Thursday called on those massed on the border to return home and uphold quarantine rules on arrival in Israel. Kiev closed its borders for most of the month of September citing a growing number of coronavirus infections, but the pilgrims attempted to bypass the restrictions by travelling through Belarus. Ukrainian border guards announced Friday they had arrested several pilgrims, including Israeli and US citizens, trying to enter the country illegally from Hungary, Poland and Romania. Kiev has reported more than 169,000 cases of coronavirus and 3,468 fatalities. On Thursday, officials registered a record one-day increase in infections. The standoff on the border aggravated already strained ties between Kiev and Minsk, which have traded barbs over disputed presidential elections in Belarus last month. Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko earlier told his officials to negotiate a travel corridor with Ukraine and offered to provide buses to transport religious believers to holy sites in Ukraine. Kiev in turn accused Belarusian authorities of giving false hope to the Hasidic pilgrims that they would eventually be allowed to travel to Uman. Both Ukraine and Israel are keen to avoid a spike in coronavirus infections. Israel is poised to impose a second nationwide lockdown on Friday to tackle one of the world's highest coronavirus infection rates, despite public protests over the new blow to the economy. The three-week shutdown from 1100 GMT starts just hours before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Meanwhile, up to 3,000 Hasidic Jews have arrived in Uman for the celebrations entering Ukraine before the ban, police said. Law enforcement has tightened security near Rabbi Nachman's tomb where pilgrims have congregated.

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims leave Belarus-Ukraine border over coronavirus ban

By early afternoon on Tuesday some three dozen waiting trucks had moved through and more than a hundred police and national guardsmen were setting up tents for the night.

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims stuck on Belarus-Ukraine border

hasidic-jewish

Hasidic Jewish, News on Hasidic Jewish, stories on Hasidic Jewish, articles on Hasidic Jewish, Hasidic Jewish stories at Wion, Hasidic Jewish news, Hasidic Jewish latest news

hasidic jewish

Belief versus coronavirus: No vaccine to prevent blind faith

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims leave Belarus-Ukraine border over coronavirus ban

Hasidic Jewish pilgrims stuck on Belarus-Ukraine border