Mayor Bill de Blasio says there will be zero tolerance for large gatherings amid social distancing after hundreds attended a funeral for a rabbi in Brooklyn.

This comes as the governor reports a drop in new COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, though he has been adamant about staying the course with social distancing.

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Mayor de Blasio has stated repeatedly that New Yorkers should still be social distancing. He says it’s fine to get a quick walk or workout in, but the point is not to gather.

 

In Brooklyn, police dealt with hundreds of people gathering for a funeral in Williamsburg on Bedford Avenue.

 

A source tells News 12 a rabbi died from COVID-19. Mayor de Blasio sent a series of tweets saying he rushed to the scene, where police were called to deal with the massive crowd.

“We have lost so many these last two months, and I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths, and more families in mourning. We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance,” Mayor de Blasio said in a tweet.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea joined the mayor Wednesday to speak out after criticizing the Jewish community in Williamsburg for the funeral.

The mayor received criticism for his tweets, including from Councilman Chaim Deutsch, who says he was outraged.

Deutsch told News 12, "Singling out one community is ridiculous. Every neighborhood has people who are being non-compliant. To speak to an entire ethnic group as though we are all flagrantly violating precautions is offensive, it’s stereotyping, and it’s inviting antisemitism. I’m truly stunned.”

News 12 is told there were 12 summonses issued Tuesday night for failing to follow social distancing rules and refusing to disperse.