Bethlehem under lockdown after confirmed virus cases

BETHLEHEM: The city of Bethlehem was under lockdown on Friday after the first Palestinian cases of the deadly coronavirus were discovered there and authorities announced a state of emergency.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al Kaila said a total of 16 cases of the COVID-19 illness had been detected in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after nine new cases were discovered in Bethlehem, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Friday evening.

The Palestinian government announced a month-long state of emergency late Thursday after the first seven cases were identified, while the Israeli defence ministry said it had imposed emergency measures on bethlehem, with everybody “forbidden from entering or leaving the city.”

It added that the lockdown had been imposed “in co-ordination with the Palestinian Authority.”

The Church of the Nativity, built on the site Christians believe was the birthplace of Jesus, was closed on Thursday and along with other sites is expected to be shuttered for a month.

All tourist buses to and from Bethlehem were banned until further notice, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

A journalist saw around 20 buses stuck at a checkpoint run by Israeli personnel at the entrance to the Palestinian city, which is around 10 kilometres south of Israeli-controlled Jerusalem.

Witnesses said some tourists in Bethlehem were trying to bypass military controls in order to reach Jerusalem.

The streets of Bethlehem and Ramallah, where the Palestinian government is based, were near-empty on Friday morning, with most shops closed, journalists said.

Israel controls all entrances to the West Bank from the state but the Palestinian government has limited autonomy in cities.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh made a special broadcast late on Thursday to announce the 30-day lockdown, saying the measures were essential to contain the disease.

All but essential travel between Palestinian governorates was now prohibited, while all schools and educational facilities would close, he said.