Authorities in West Bank and Gaza increase COVID-19 restrictions from November 15

Event

Palestinian authorities in the Gaza Strip have announced a lockdown in the territory following the detection of 406 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases over the weekend. The lockdown began on Sunday, November 15, and will remain in place indefinitely. All government ministries and non-essential businesses are to close for the duration of the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Palestinian authorities in the West Bank have announced a 19:00 to 06:00 (local time) curfew in Nablus governorate from Monday, November 16. The governorate has accounted for 144 of 458 new cases in the West Bank (not including East Jerusalem) over the last two days. All non-essential movement is prohibited for the duration of the curfew.

There is growing concern among officials that the Palestinian healthcare system may soon be unable to cope with the growing number of COVID-19 cases nationwide, with the 864 cases reported over the weekend being the second highest increase since the start of the pandemic. The recent increase in cases prompted Israeli authorities to ban Israeli citizens from entering Area B of the West Bank. Entry into Area A is permanently banned for Israeli citizens.

As of Monday, November 16, there have been 63,031 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 565 associated fatalities in the West Bank and Gaza. Further international spread of the virus is to be expected in the near term.

Context

The first case of COVID-19 was reported on December 31 and the source of the outbreak has been linked to a wet market in Wuhan (Hubei province, China). Since then, human-to-human transmission of the virus has been confirmed.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in numerous countries and territories worldwide. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak a pandemic. Virus-screening and quarantining measures are being implemented at airports worldwide, as well as extensive travel restrictions.

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may experience other symptoms such as body pains, nasal congestion, headache, conjunctivitis, sore throat, diarrhea, loss of taste or smell or a rash on skin or discoloration of fingers or toes. These symptoms (in most cases mild) appear gradually. Generally, most patients (around 80 percent) recover from the disease without being hospitalized.

Advice

Measures adopted by local authorities evolve quickly and are usually effective immediately. Depending on the evolution of the outbreak in other countries, authorities are likely to modify, at very short notice, the list of countries whose travelers are subject to border control measures or entry restrictions upon their arrival to the territory in question. It is advised to postpone nonessential travel due to the risk that travelers may be refused entry or be subject to quarantine upon their arrival or during their stay.

To reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers are advised to abide by the following measures:

• Frequently clean hands by applying an alcohol-based hand rub or washing with soap and water.
• When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue; if used, throw the tissue away immediately and wash hands.
• If experiencing a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, or any other symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness, including pneumonia, call emergency services before going to the doctor or hospital to prevent the potential spread of the virus.