Trading notes with friends across the U.S. the day after Shabbos Parshas Zachor, was interesting this year, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. A friend in Elizabeth, NJ, told me that, “In shul, they had hand sanitizer on the tables in the back and returned the Sefer Torah directly to the Aron. People did not shake hands.”

At least one rabbi from New York’s Upper West Side stayed home with a cold, and told his congregants follow suit if they were feeling unwell.

Some Purim carnivals and spiels had already been canceled as of Sunday, but for the most part, Megilla readings were to continue as planned.

By now, Purim is a memory. Let’s hope that next year, the corona virus will also be a memory, and that we can celebrate as in past years.