The Palestinian Authority (PA) on Sunday said eight new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in areas of Judea and Samaria under its control, bringing the total number of cases to 651.
In a statement quoted by the Xinhua news agency, the PA “health ministry” said that the number of recovered cases has reached 558, while the death toll reached five.
Both the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria and Hamas authorities in Gaza recently eased most of the precautionary measures against coronavirus.
Mosques, churches, restaurants, hotels, cafes, wedding halls, and public parks and gardens were opened after a complete lockdown for around three months.
However, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas last week issued a decree that extends the status of emergency in Judea and Samaria for another month.
Abbas initially announced a month-long state of emergency in March, after the first seven cases of coronavirus were identified in Bethlehem. He extended the state of emergency in early May.