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Palestinian Authority extends coronavirus lockdown in West Bank

July 13, 2020 at 3:51 pm

COVID-19 tests are being carried out at the Central Laboratory of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the city of Ramallah, West Bank on March 16, 2020 [Issam Rimawi / Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Authority (PA) yesterday announced that it was prolonging a lockdown in the West Bank for four days, to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections, reported the Times of Israel.

PA spokesman Ibrahim Milhem said that in accordance with the state of emergency, the cabinet also decided, “Travel will be prohibited daily from 8pm to 6am in all governorates,” as well as from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.

In addition to the general dawn-to-dusk curfew, major cities Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus and Bethlehem, where there is a large number of cases, will be under a total lockdown until Thursday evening, he said, while travel between districts will be banned for two weeks.

Only pharmacies and bakeries will be allowed to open.

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“It is strictly forbidden to organise weddings, funerals and parties,” said Melhem, adding that Palestinians were also barred from going to work in Israeli settlements.

According to Wafa news agency, among the 7,335 cases, 6,401 were in the West Bank, 862 in East Jerusalem, and 72 in the Gaza Strip.

Among the dead, 37 were in the West Bank, three in East Jerusalem and one in the Gaza Strip.

Israel is currently reporting around 1,000 new cases a day, higher than its peak during the previous wave. The government confirmed infections stand at more than 38,600, including 360 patients who have died as a result of coronavirus.