Coronavirus: Health Ministry urges Israelis not to enter PA territories

The ministry said the decision was taken after the discovery of coronavirus cases in Bethlehem, Bet Jala and Tulkarem.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adn Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman address the nation on the coronavirus epidemic, March 4, 2020 (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu adn Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman address the nation on the coronavirus epidemic, March 4, 2020
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The Health Ministry on Wednesday called on Israeli citizens and foreign tourists not to enter Palestinian Authority-controlled territories to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and out of concern for the public’s health.
The decision was taken after the discovery of coronavirus cases in Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Tulkarm, the ministry said.
It also called for avoiding public gatherings, including religious congregations, in PA-controlled territories.
Meanwhile, the PA government on Wednesday morning said no new cases of coronavirus had been detected over the past few hours. The health condition of the 30 patients infected with the virus remained stable, it said, adding that 20 of them were males and 10 were females.
PA government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem said 3,639 Palestinians were in home isolation: 2,950 in Bethlehem, 500 in Hebron and the rest are in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm and Kalkilya.
Samples have been taken for testing from 13 Palestinians from the villages of Hizma and Jaba’a in the Jerusalem area who were in contact with an Israeli infected with the virus at a nearby Rami Levy supermarket, he said. The results of the tests would be announced at a later stage, he added.