Tomb of the Patriarchs to be closed until end of Sukkot

Prayer services will continue at the seventh step area for those who live within one kilometer of the site.

The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The Tomb of the Patriarchs will be closed to worshipers until the end of the Sukkot holiday, as part of the coronavirus lockdown, Israel Police announced on Thursday.
According to the website of the Jewish community in Hebron, prayer services will continue at the seventh step area for those who live within one kilometer of the site.
Government officials and religious leaders have encouraged Israelis to conduct prayer services in open spaces as much as possible to help slow the spread of the continuing coronavirus outbreak.
It is unclear if Palestinian worshipers will be affected by the closure. The site was reportedly closed to Palestinian worshipers earlier this week during Yom Kippur, according to Palestinian media.
Crossings into the West Bank and Gaza Strip will be closed over the weekend for the first day of Sukkot. The Reihan and Eliyahu crossings for the Seam Zone residents will operate on a reduced schedule and the Hashmonaim Crossing will operate on a Friday schedule.
Entry into Israel from the West Bank and Gaza will only be allowed in urgent, humanitarian cases and for specific people who will be able to use designated purpose permits. Palestinian workers employed in the medical and nursing fields will be allowed into the country as well.
Urgent humanitarian cases including the escort of patients, physicians and emergency medical teams on duty, Jerusalem District Electricity Company employees, Atarot Industrial Zone employees, and those crossing for purposes of attending a funeral of a nuclear family member will be allowed through the crossings during the lockdown.
Between Sunday and Thursday, the Reihan and Eliyahu crossings for residents of the Seam Zone, Ephraim Gate Crossing and Hashmonaim Crossing will remain open and the Tarqumiya Crossing which will operate between 4:00 a.m and 12:00 p.m. 
Workers with permits in all sectors, except for the restaurant sector, will be able to enter during this period as well.
The Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip will operate during adjusted hours of operation for humanitarian and life-saving cases over the weekend. The Kerem Shalom crossing will be closed.