PA re-imposes restrictions as virus cases spike

Another 43 Palestinians have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising the number of infected cases to 1,022, Palestinian Authority Health Minister Mai al-Kaila announced on Sunday.

The new cases were discovered in Hebron, Nablus and Tulkarm, she said.

The PA government has decided to reopen all quarantine centers and coronavirus wards in the West Bank, while all hospitals have been asked to prepare for any emergency, al-Kaila said.

On Saturday, the PA Health Ministry announced that 108 coronavirus cases were registered in one day. It said that 103 of the new cases were detected in Hebron.

Following the dramatic increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh announced a series of measures to curb the spread of the disease. The measures include a five-day ban on movement within the Hebron Governorate to enable medical teams to control the epidemiological situation and placing the city of Nablus under lockdown for 48 hours.

“From tonight, weddings, receptions, graduation parties, mourning houses and all forms of gatherings are strictly prohibited in all governorates,” Shtayyeh said. “It is strictly forbidden to work in the [Israeli] settlements.”

He also announced that “emergency committees” would be reactivated in Palestinian villages and cities to support the work of the PA security forces.

“There are some people who violate their quarantine and thus endanger themselves and others,” Shtayyeh added. “They may even cause the death of others, and accordingly they will be brought to trial. I regret to say that we will monitor the application of these procedures for five days, and in the event that they are not applied, we will resort to other, more severe, measures.”

He also called on Arab-Israelis not to enter the PA-controlled areas for the next 14 days as part of precautionary measures to stem the spread of the virus.