It seems to be not a question of if, but a question of when. The Coronavirus is spreading rapidly with new cases now reported in Chicago, Rhode Island, and Washington state. More than five thousand people in Israel are already in quarantine. We must make sure we stay safe during this outbreak and keep to all CDC and other medical guidelines.
This article is not meant to offer or substitute for medical advice but rather draw attention to aspects of Jewish life that will be affected during the current outbreak. While I did consult an infectious disease MD and other physicians, it is not providing medical guidance but rather drawing attention to the issues. So, here are things Jewish communities should be thinking about during a coronavirus outbreak, as I see them:
Synagogue- there are few things synagogues, and those who go to synagogue can do to reduce germ transmission. The first and most important one is to stop all handshakes now. As Jews, we love wishing good to others; whether it is a Shabbat Shalom, Shkoyach, or welcoming someone to your community. The good 
We need to put handshakes to rest for a while. A smile and a good wish are just as good. 
news is you can do this without shaking their hands. Hand to hand is the primary form of germ transmission. Even if you live in a place with no coronavirus outbreak, aka most of the world, as the world seeks to combat contagion, we need to put handshakes to rest for a while. A smile and a good wish are just as good.
Who is in your shul? The next most important thing: appoint someone in shul who is kind and gentle to go over to anyone who has a persistent cough and may not be healthy and ask them to go home. There is no excuse for anyone to be in shul if they don’t know they are fully healthy and virus free. I recall distinctly personally being in shul, getting up and leaving after someone repeatedly coughed. There is no justification for that. Why should someone healthy have to leave shul because someone with a virus is acting irresponsibly?! If there is someone not well in your synagogue, make sure that someone in shul kindly and gently asks them to leave. This is not just true for synagogues.
Schools, synagogues, Y’s, and every Jewish institution should all be posting visible reminders reminding people not to attend or enter the building if they feel ill, have a fever, cough or other acute conditions.
Hand sanitizers: The next most important thing is to make sure your shul has purell—lots of it—placed in multiple visible locations. This point cannot be emphasized enough. If you are a rabbi or synagogue administrator, you should make sure this happens yesterday. If you are a congregant, look out to see your shul has hand sanitizer available to all in multiple locations, or offer to donate it.
Synagogue choice-My first inclination was to think that smaller shuls are a better choice at this time than bigger ones; speaking to an infectious disease doctor changed that. The most crucial factor is not synagogue spaciousness. You are better off going to a very large synagogue with hundreds of attendees with lots of space for each person, properly ventilated than going to a small shteibel where thirty people crowd together in a small room where they incubate each other’s germs.
If you are in Israel, where some people have outdoor prayer services, come the spring even better. Ideally, you want there to be six feet between people, but that is not always possible. All this needs to be balanced with the fact that when going to a large synagogue all you need is for one person to have the virus and it can spread to the entire place. These are difficult things to balance and each individual needs to make their own calculations.
Washing hands at Shul- Another thing you should make sure your shul does is to use disposable paper towels that easily dispense so that when you wash your hands. There should be no contact with the germs of anyone else that was there.
If you would like to go the extra step in the prevention of spreading germs, bring your own siddur and Chumash to synagogue.
Kissing the Torah-another form of germ transmission in synagogue is kissing the Torah. There are many ways to show our love and respect for the Torah; one of them can be by protecting lives and not having the entire synagogue touch the Torah or kiss it, thereby transmitting germs to the entire place.
Shabbat meals- in general, the more people you congregate with, the most germs go around. While having large Shabbat meals with many people and lots of socializing is a beautiful and enjoyable thing during times of an outbreak, it is better to keep meals to smaller crowds. This too, has a beauty to it, allowing people to connect better and giving for more family time. In addition to having small meals and making sure that no one at the table carries a virus or is at risk, are several things that can be done to reduce the transmission of germs.
Kiddush- during kiddush, make sure that everyone takes their beverage into their cup before kiddush. This way, you avoid the need to pour kiddush from cup to cup. Before going for netilat yadayim—ritual handwashing—everyone should make sure they wash their hands with soap or hand sanitizer; this way, one avoids transmission while everyone is using the same washing cup(it’s hard to imagine arranging a separate washing cup per person though that is possible).
Another way to reduce germs transmission is to make sure you use paper towels to dry your hands after washing. If you have made sure all hands are clean—especially those of the person making.
Hamotzie— there should be no problem with them cutting the challah and putting it in a basket for everyone. If you really want to go the extra measure, though it seems not necessary, you can get pull-apart challah or challah rolls and have everyone take their own challah.
Stocking up on food-as experts have encouraged everyone to stock up on dry food for a case of being quarantined, you may want to also stock up on lots of Matza. Why Matza? Because if you need challah for Shabbat or any other purpose, Matza remains good for a very long time. It is easy to store and can satisfy your religious bread needs for a while. Even if you are an avid Kosher supermarket shopper, you want to familiarize yourself now with kosher food delivery services in your area just in case.
Torah study- the study of Torah has always been the epicenter and lifeline of Jewish life. There is nothing like it. As schools around the globe make shelf plans for school closures, Jews, Jewish educators and rabbis, should all be preparing for keeping the study of Torah going in varying situations. Every rabbi and educator should make themselves familiar with how to host a video conference, Facebook live, Whatapp group, Stream on Youtube or Instagram, or any tool that is common and prevalent in your community.
Parents and individuals should make themselves familiar with the many already available resources online. From Chabad.org for kids to Arutz Meir for Israelis, Kol Haloshon for kids, partners in Torah phone Chavrutahs, and so many more. Torah study must continue under all conditions. Never in history has it been so easy to access Torah resources from home. If you end up staying home, make those many resources available to you. If you are in a position to share your knowledge with others, do that too.
Mikvah- while there is much we don’t know about the Coronavirus; it does have many similarities to the flu. Flu
Every community should review and strengthen their Mikvah hygiene policies starting now.cannot be transmitted through water that is properly sanitized. This does not mean that mikvahs are immune to transmission. Areas in which people prepare and place their personal belongings should be a matter of concern. Every community should review and strengthen their Mikvah hygiene policies starting now. A contingency plan should be made for every community Mikvah as early as possible. Men’s Mikvah’s, especially in Hassidic communities, should be an issue for major concern and review as the numbers and frequencies of users are usually large and can potentially be a source for transmitting lots of germs.
Beards- While a CDC infographic was released an earlier warning that beards and whiskers can interrupt the proper use of masks, something that would encourage men to shave their beards, updated guidelines discourage the use of masks. Some even argue that masks increase one’s chance of contracting the disease. The bottom line is people with the disease will need to wear masks and for that to be effective they will need to shave. This is also for those who need to wear masks as part of their work (physicians, medical professionals, etc.). All the rest can keep their beards and stay tuned for future guidelines.
This is all where there is a low risk for coronavirus contamination. Israel’s most prominent rabbis have already instructed those who traveled to China and who may contaminate others to avoid all going to synagogue, family gatherings, and any public events.
May everyone remain healthy and happy with the ability to serve Hashem, celebrate with family and community out of joy and strength and may we be blessed with the Torah’s blessing: “And the Lord will remove from you all illness, and all of the evil diseases…” (Devarim 7)