The Palestinian Authority announced on Thursday that it has discovered seven cases of coronavirus.The announcement was made by PA Health Minister Mai al-Kaialah during a press conference on Thursday evening.She said her ministry decided to conduct tests on hotel workers who had come in contact with Greek tourists who stayed there. “Our medical teams examined the workers of the hotel, and later found that seven people tested positive,” Kailah said. “They have been placed in quarantine together with the hotel staff and two doctors who came in contact with them.”She said the tests were sent to the Sheba Medical Center, which later confirmed the seven positive cases.PA Health Minister Mai al-Kailah said the measures include closing all mosques and churches in Bethlehem for 14 days and cancelling all workshops, conferences, social and sports activities.”Kailah said her ministry was awaiting the results of the tests conducted on the suspected cases.The tests, she said, have been sent to the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, adding that the results would be published as soon as they arrive.Earlier, the PA said it had taken urgent precautionary measures against the coronavirus after discovering a number of suspected cases in Bethlehem.Kailah said her ministry has taken all precautionary measures in Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities and urged Palestinians to remain calm and exercise self-restraint.The PA Health Ministry also announced a ban on the entry of tourists into Palestinian cities for the next two weeks. The hotel where the suspected coronavirus cases were discovered has been temporarily closed, Palestinian health officials said.In addition, the PA decided to close all schools, universities and colleges in the Bethlehem area for two weeks. The measure applies also to Jericho and the Jordan Valley.A senior official with the ministry also warned against rumors and urged Palestinians to rely only on official sources regarding the coronavirus.The official said that the hotel where the suspected cases were discovered has been closed pending the results of the tests. Preliminary tests have shown that there are at least four suspected cases, the official said.The Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced that it has been working for the past two weeks with the PA to prevent the outbreak of the coronavirus in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.About 250 test kits have been delivered from Israel to the PA and joint training sessions for Israeli and Palestinian medic professionals have been taking place, COGAT said.In addition, COGAT is accessible to the Palestinian public through its social media platforms, where they can follow the guidelines published by the Israeli Ministry of Health on prevention and protection against the spread of the virus and ways of dealing with infection.“COGAT will continue to work closely with the Palestinian authorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” it said in a statement. “That’s in coordination with the Israeli authorities, with emphasis on the Ministry of Health and Magen David Adom.Civil Administration Health Coordinator Dalia Bassa said: “Bacteria and viruses don’t stop at the border – and the spread of the dangerous virus in Judea and Samaria may also endanger the health of Israeli citizens. We will continue efforts to assist the Palestinian authorities in eradicating the spread of the virus out of Israeli interests and humanitarian considerations. If needed, we will extend medical training to Palestinian staff as well as transfer of medical equipment to the Palestinian health system.”
