Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh said on Friday that 22 more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the PA, bringing the total number to 193.
Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah and quoted by the Wafa news agency, Shtayyeh said that under PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas' decree extending the state of emergency by 30 more days, all educational facilities, businesses and border crossings will remain shut down for the time being.
In addition, movement of individuals between governorates as well as between populated communities will remain banned.
Shtayyeh stressed that the next two weeks will be the most difficult in terms of controlling the spread of the pandemic, as around 45,000 Palestinian Arab workers in Israel are expected to return from their workplaces in Israel to their homes in PA-assigned areas of Judea and Samaria.
He called on the workers to adhere to the instructions of the home quarantine in accordance with the instructions of the Ministry of Health, in order to protect themselves and their community.
Shtayyeh said the PA cabinet has maintained contact with all parties of the international community, especially the World Health Organization, donors and international organizations as part of the efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic.
He noted that a special fund has been established to organize fundraising for medical and social necessities arising from the ongoing crisis.
Abbas on Thursday extended the state of emergency for another 30 days due to the spread of the coronavirus.
He initially announced a month-long state of emergency after the first seven cases of coronavirus were identified in Bethlehem. Since then, cases were identified in other PA-controlled cities as well.
Cases of the virus have also been identified in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
(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.)