Joe Biden decisively won Michigan’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, seizing a key battleground state that helped propel Bernie Sanders’ insurgent candidacy four years ago. The former vice president’s victory there, as well as in Missouri and Mississippi, dealt a serious blow to Sanders and substantially widened Biden’s path to the nomination. The Vermont senator’s hopes rested on Idaho, North Dakota and Washington state, where votes were still being cast or tabulated but where far fewer delegates were at stake. Biden again showed strength with working-class voters and African Americans, who are vital to winning the Democratic nomination. Tuesday marked the first time voters weighed in on the primary since it effectively narrowed to a two-person race between Sanders and Biden.

Another eight Israelis were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Tuesday in Israel amidst the Purim festivities, raising the number of confirmed cases in the country to 58. Patient #51 is a resident of southern Israel, who recently returned from Azerbaijan; patient # 52, a Ma’ale Adumim resident in his 80s was in contact with someone subsequently diagnosed with the virus; patient #53 is a resident of central Israel in his 40s who returned from Munich on February 27; patients #54 and #55, both in their 30s, returned from Germany to Israel on March 6th and have been in self-quarantine since; patient #56 is a Jerusalem woman in her 60s from Jerusalem who was in contact with someone diagnosed with the virus; and patient #57 was also in contact with someone diagnosed with the virus.

When no one else in Israel could be found willing to take the risk, Zaka volunteers stepped up to the plate and tended to the body of an Israeli man who passed away while in quarantine for COVID-19 on Monday. The body of the 50-year-old Netanya resident, who recently returned from France and passed away while in self-quarantine, lay on the floor for hours as authorities tried to find someone willing to perform the true chessed shel emes. As midnight approached, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov turned to ZAKA chairman Yehuda Meshi-Zahav and requested his help. A select staff of volunteers took the sacred mission onto themselves.

A group of mekubalim carried out a “special tikun” on Taanis Esther to remove the coronavirus threat from the residents of Israel, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported. The mekubalim, including Rav Dovid Chavusha, flew around Israel in a plane for two hours and performed the tikkun which included reciting pitum ha’ketores, blowing the shofar and special kavanos. A similar tikkun was carried out 70 years ago by the mekubal Rav Yehudah Fetaya, when the Nazis threatened to enter Eretz Yisrael. Harav Fetaya and other mekubalim went to the Egyptian base in the south of Israel and flew around Israel for an hour. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that all arrivals from abroad, starting 8pm (Israel time), must self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival, regardless of the destination they arrived from. “After a whole day of complex discussions, we’ve reached a decision: every person arriving in Israel from abroad must enter a 14-day quarantine,” Netanyahu told reporters. “This is a difficult decision, but it is necessary to maintain public health, and public health is above all else. The decision will be in effect for the next two weeks.” The move went into effect immediately for Israelis, but will only be applied to non-Israelis beginning Thursday night, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said.

Coronavirus case numbers swelled in New York on Monday, including an FDNY EMS member – the city’s 1st first responder with a confirmed case. The EMS worker is quarantined along with several other co-workers. Eight patients of the 142 patients statewide are being treated in the hospital and most cases are located in Westchester County. Among those testing positive for coronavirus is Rick Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority, the bi-state agency that runs the NY-area airports and seaports, Cuomo said. A 7-year-old girl from the Bronx is also among the New York City cases. She attends Westchester Torah Academy, which has been closed since the New Rochelle case emerged. She is doing well and quarantined with her family, who have tested negative, Mayor de Blasio said.

Stocks tumbled on Monday as investors braced for the economic fallout from the spreading coronavirus, while a shocking all-out oil price war added to the anxiety. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tanked more than 2,000 points, while the S&P 500 plunged 7.2%. The massive sell-off triggered a key market circuit breaker in morning trading. Trading was halted for 15 minutes until reopening at 9:49 a.m. ET. The sharp declines followed a roller-coaster week that saw the S&P 500 swing up or down more than 2.5% for four days straight. While Monday’s drop was significant, it still didn’t crack the 20 worst days for the S&P 500.

Manhattan High School For Girls has closed school since Friday until next week after one of the teachers tested positive for coronavirus, YWN has learned. The Department of health and the school announced that any students who were in same room as this teacher, have to be quarantined for 14 days. That includes even students she doesn’t teach, but who only davened mincha in the same room as her on Monday, March 2. The school is having online school (Zoom) for the next 2 weeks and many of them are missing out in the Simcha of Purim. Sources tell YWN that as many as 200 girls are in quarantine from this school. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

During the press conference on Sunday evening in Israel that was run by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and was attended by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, the pair discussed how Israel was going to be combatting the virus. Among the other solutions offered, Netanyahu stated that Israel and the U.S. would be developing solutions for the widespread screening of patients in order to detect the virus. This screening process would be available to organizations from both countries. During the conference, Netanyahu said: “I would like to thank President Trump and Vice President Pence for their extraordinary cooperation with Israel. They have perhaps the finest people in the world dealing with this. Sandra Berks, who we spoke to today, the heads of the CDC: these are exceptional people.

Dear Community Member, We are sure that you are all following recent news and events concerning COVID-19, a new strain of Coronavirus. There are increasing amounts of confirmed cases in the New York City area. We would like to advise the community of the recommendations from the CDC and other health experts. First, do not panic! Although this virus is contagious, it is usually not life-threatening in healthy people. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and some people don’t have any symptoms at all. The most common symptoms resemble the flu and include fever, fatigue, and dry cough. Some people also develop aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, or diarrhea.