Tashlich at bodies of water has been effectively banned by Israel’s Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Dovid Lau this year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Tashlich sometimes draws crowds and often involve large gatherings, potentially creating superspreader events that could exacerbate the coronavirus crisis.

Rav Lau issued a special directive to charedim that reciting Tashlich “does not have to be near a source of water, and therefore no such gatherings shall take place this year.”

He added that “the tefillos can be carried out from afar.”

Rav Lau further urged shul gabbaim to take the necessary preparations for the Yomim Noraim, including by writing down the shul members’ names to ensure proper separation.

Likewise, shofar blowing must be performed far away from mispalelim to ensure that virus-carrying droplets are not distributed across a large area.

{JNS}

{Matzav.com}