Bernie Sanders was trying to determine his next moves on Wednesday, after Joe Biden swept to victory in Florida, Illinois and Arizona and seized a commanding lead in a Democratic presidential race upended by the coronavirus. The Vermont senator’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said Sanders “is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign.” But Shakir also suggested his candidate is no hurry to make any decisions about dropping out, noting that “the next primary contest is at least three weeks away.” More immediately, Sanders “is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable,” Shakir said in a statement.

As per the p’sak halacha of our daas torah, Rav Yechezkel Roth shlit”a, whose day to day guidance directs our organization, we will be suspending all deliveries of shiva chairs and gemach supplies effective immediately because of the coronavirus outbreak. There is no doubt that this is an עת צרה ליעקב and that it is incumbent upon each of us to do our part to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Rabbi Roth has made it very clear that there is no mitzvah for face to face nichum aveilim at this time, and that, for now, the telephone is the optimal way to comfort those who are sitting shiva. Furthermore, Rabbi Roth has instructed aveilim to sit shiva in separate rooms to prevent family members from infecting each other.

Iran issued its most dire warning yet Tuesday about the outbreak of the new coronavirus ravaging the country, suggesting “millions” could die in the Islamic Republic if the public keeps traveling and ignoring health guidance. A state television journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours after hard-line Shiite faithful the previous night pushed their way into the courtyards of two major shrines that had just been closed over fears of the virus. Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious ruling prohibiting “unnecessary” travel in the country. Roughly nine out of 10 of the over 18,000 cases of the new virus confirmed across the Middle East come from Iran, where authorities denied for days the risk the outbreak posed.

The Pentagon is already helping combat the coronavirus outbreak in the United States and is considering ways to do more. But the military faces limits. Its health care system is geared more toward handling combat casualties than infectious diseases. And there are logistical and legal concerns about expanding the military’s role in civilian affairs, such as tasking it with enforcing quarantines. Defense officials also want to be careful not to do anything to weaken its ability to defend the nation.

A Florida man charged with conspiring with associates of Rudy Giuliani to make illegal campaign contributions claims prosecutors shouldn’t get to use electronics he mailed to lawyers in the case against him, but prosecutors disagreed Monday. Prosecutors said in papers filed in Manhattan federal court that they legally obtained a hard-copy notebook and electronic devices belonging to David Correia last October. They said Correia tried to mail them to his lawyers before flying to New York to surrender, apparently to avoid having them seized when he was arrested. Prosecutors obtained a warrant for the package and seized it, according to a letter prosecutors sent to Judge J. Paul Oetken.

New measures to seal off borders to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus have left cruise ships stranded in the Caribbean, South America and Europe, with local governments denying permission to disembark as more cases of infected passengers have come to light. Two cruise ships have been turned away from several Caribbean ports, and at least one by Spain, after passengers fell ill with COVID-19. Two other vessels have rerouted to Miami after they were turned away from their home port in Puerto Rico even with no reports of infections. Authorities in Argentina, Chile and Brazil, meanwhile, have also placed smaller ships on quarantine after reports of positive coronavirus tests.

China announced that it will revoke the media credentials of all American journalists at three major U.S. news organizations, in effect expelling them from the country, in response to new U.S. restrictions on Chinese state-controlled media. The foreign ministry said early Wednesday that American citizens working for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post with credentials expiring before the end of the year must surrender their press cards within 10 days. It is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat actions by the two governments as the Trump administration takes a more confrontational stance in dealing with China than his predecessors.

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The IDF will enter war footing to combat the current global enemy – the spreading coronavirus, a Channel 13 News report said on Tuesday. The IDF reportedly believes that the current crisis will last for several months at least and possibly up to a year. Under Israeli law, if the government declares a state of emergency, the Defense Minister takes over as the head of the National Emergency Authority (NEMA) in the Defense Ministry and manages and coordinates all national authorities in responding to the emergency through the Home Front Command. Defense Minister Naftali Bennett ordered the mobilization of 2,500 IDF reservists on Tuesday to help combat the coronavirus crisis, in addition to the 2,000 Home Front Command reservists that were mobilized on Sunday.

Public Security Minister instructed senior police and emergency officials on Tuesday to prepare to place Israel in full lockdown, a decision that is likely to ensue in the coming days. Erdan requested that domestic security and police officials urgently present him with a detailed plan for the actualization of a decision to place the entire state of Israel in full lockdown, during which only essential workers would be able to leave their homes for work purposes and other citizens only allowed to leave home to procure basic supplies or medical treatment. If Israel is placed in lockdown, Israel Police would be responsible for enforcing the lockdown and the Home Front Command would supply citizens in need with basic supplies.