The Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, which controlled by Hamas, announced on Thursday the tightening of preventive measures needed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As of 8:00 p.m., a lockdown was imposed in the red areas, the opening of shops was banned and residents were completely forbidden to leave their homes for any purpose. A person who violates the guidelines will be prosecuted and may be sent to jail.
Residents of the Gaza Strip were also banned from gathering in homes, setting up mourning tents and holding mass celebrations.
Mosques and schools will be required to close as of Friday in red zones. Residents are required to wear a mask when traveling by public transportation.
Since March, 580 people have died in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority (both in Judea and Samaria and in Gaza), and 40 are hospitalized in serious condition as of Thursday.
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.
Gaza recorded its first death from COVID-19 in late May. The death was a 77-year-old woman from the district of Khan Yunis who had returned from Egypt the previous week.