Italy is closing schools nationwide after reporting more than 3,000 cases of the new virus and more than 100 deaths. In the United States, some schools in Washington are considering the possibility of having to teach students online as the state's death toll reached 10. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia banned pilgrimages to the holy city of Mecca. Iran canceled Friday's Islamic prayers in major cities. In Israel, the chief rabbi is urging observant Jews to refrain from kissing mezuzot, small items encasing a prayer scroll that are posted by Jews on doorposts.
