Virus outbreak in Hebron ‘out of control’: Palestine
13:18, 05/07/2020, SundayU: Update: 13:19, 05/07/2020, Sunday
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Palestinians bury the body of a woman, who has died after contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in a cemetery in Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank June 29, 2020. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
Half of all virus cases in Palestine were recorded in Hebron
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila has described the coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank city of Hebron as “out of control”.
Speaking in an interview with Palestine TV, al-Kaila said 173 virus infections were registered in Hebron on Saturday.
The health minister is set to visit the city on Sunday to check on the health situation there.
According to the minister, 50 Palestinian medics have so far contracted the virus.
As the cases continue to surge, al-Kaila expected that the Palestinian government would extend a lockdown imposed in the territories for five more days to stem the spread of the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the government imposed a five-day lockdown in 11 provinces in the West Bank, including Hebron, in an effort to contain the outbreak.
So far, Palestine has confirmed 4,250 infections, including 17 deaths. More than half of the registered cases were in Hebron.
* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara
