PA health officials said that the lockdown may be extended in wake of the corona virus spike.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank May 19, 2020(photo credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday extended the state of emergency in the PA-controlled areas of the West Bank for an additional 30 days as part of ongoing efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.The state of emergency was first announced in early march and has since been renewed by Abbas every 30 days.Abbas’s decision came as the PA government announced that another 208 cases of coronavirus were detected in the West Bank in the past 24 hours, raising the number of patients currently diagnosed with the disease to 4,458.On Sunday, three Palestinians from the Hebron area – two men and a woman – died of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 20.Most of the recent coronavirus cases were detected in the Hebron area.On Friday, the PA government announced a five-day lockdown on all Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps in the West Bank amid a sharp increase in infections.PA health officials said that the lockdown may be extended in wake of the coronavirus spike.Also Sunday, the PA dispatched five cabinet ministers to Hebron to follow up on the health situation there following the discovery of dozens of new coronavirus cases. The ministers are scheduled to report to the PA government about the situation in Hebron on Monday.The ministers met with the mayors of Hebron, Dura, Yatta, Halhoul and Dhahiriya and discussed with them ways of stemming the spread of the virus.
