Palestinian Authority (PA) “health minister” Mai al-Kaila on Wednesday warned about an acute increase of COVID-19 cases in PA-assigned territories, the Xinhua news agency reports.
Al-Kaila issued the warning in a press release after 45 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Judea and Samaria in the past 24 hours, raising the total number in PA-assigned territories to 745.
570 have recovered from the virus and five died since March 5, with 170 still receiving medical care, she noted.
"Infections increased following our attempt to bring daily life in Palestine to normal to balance economy and health. But unfortunately, the medical protocol was not implemented," said al-Kaila.
She called on Palestinian Arabs to abide by social distancing and wearing gloves and facemasks "which should be a basic and important part of their daily life."
Ignoring the precautionary measures "will certainly cause a dramatic increase in the number of infected cases," she noted, though she ruled out a full closure in the PA.
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 recently 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.