Joseph's Tomb closed ahead of monthly visit due to coronavirus

The Tomb of Joseph in Nablus has been ordered closed ahead of its scheduled monthly visit – which was to take place on Monday, the Jewish Fast of Esther – due to the outbreak of coronavirus.Following discussions between Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, the IDF’s Samaria Brigade Commander Col. Sagiv Dahan, in consultation with Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of the Elon Moreh Yeshiva, it was decided to postpone the monthly visit. The decision was made by telephone consultation with Dagan, as he is currently in home quarantine after returning from France earlier this week, in accordance with a directive issued by the Health Ministry on Wednesday.Dagan said in a statement: "Following the assessment of the situation we had with the Shimron Brigade and the Central Command, and in light of the Health's Ministry's instructions, we decided to postpone the entrance to Joseph's Tomb on the third day of [the Jewish month of] Adar, Ta'anit Esther [Fast of Esther.]"We have a responsibility to get the general public to pray and connect with their roots," the statement continued. "But on such days, we must take increased precautions and obey the Health Ministry's instructions for the health of our people. We count on the IDF and the health system. We will immediately coordinate with the Samaria Division to determine the new date for entering Joseph's Tomb."Monthly entry to the tomb, which is inside the Palestinian city of Nablus, is organized by the Samaria Regional Council, in coordination with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories [COGAT] and the IDF Samaria Regional Division. Averting fears that the Western Wall in Jerusalem may be closed to visitors, Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman announced on Wednesday that the Western Wall Plaza is open and that there is no concern about coming to the Western Wall due to coronavirus.Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, said that "actually in this time of distress, there is nothing more appropriate than coming to pray at the Western Wall and asking the Creator of the Universe, the Healer of all men, to remove all illness from the inhabitants of this land and the entire world." There have been 16 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Israel, with at least 50,000 people in quarantine.