Gaza
GazaiStock

Restaurants in Gaza will reopen during the month of Ramadan, while precautionary measures will be taken to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic, said Gaza authorities on Sunday, according to the Xinhua news agency.

The restaurants and cafes will open as of Monday under certain precautionary measures that workers and customers must abide by, the Hamas-run “economy ministry” said.

The measures include sterilization, high level of hygiene and not allowing the usage of personal belongings by others, such as mobile phones or other devices, it said.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip stood at 17 since April 21. Of those, 10 have recovered, according to Gaza's health authorities.

The first cases of COVID-19 in Gaza were reported in late March. Before that, local authorities declared a new set of precautionary measures amid concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus in the coastal enclave.

Hamas had previously closed schools, mosques and wedding halls and banned large street gatherings to halt the spread of the virus, but did not impose a lockdown on Gaza’s two million residents, saying one was not yet necessary.