The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Friday announced 207 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the tally of coronavirus infections to 1,795, the Xinhua news agency reported.

PA “health minister” Mai al-Kaila said in a press statement that this is the highest number of cases in one day since the outbreak of novel coronavirus on March 5, adding that most of the new cases were recorded in the district of Hebron.

She added that 620 cases had recovered and five died since March 5. In addition, a total of 1,170 cases are still receiving medical care.

The new wave of infections first hit the area in mid-June. Hebron is becoming the new epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in the PA, with a majority of the cases reported there, followed by Shechem (Nablus).

The new wave of COVID-19 has forced the PA cabinet to declare a new set of restrictive measures, banning public gathering and putting Hebron and Shechem under a lockdown.

Last week, PA health authorities warned that a second wave of the novel coronavirus has begun, urging the public to follow the government's instructions.

Al-Kaila said that some of the recorded cases belong to PA citizens who recently returned from Egypt through Jordan.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)