RAMALLAH, Tuesday, March 10, 2020 (WAFA) – Ramallah Governor Leila Ghannam today issued an order closing all Ramallah restaurants and cafes, the primary attraction of the city, in an effort to fend off the spread of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Ghannam’s decision affects all restaurants, coffee shops, gyms, indoor sports facilities, internet cafes and game centers, and suspends all indoor and outdoor public gatherings, including the folkloric dabkeh dance and scout training, as a precautionary measure to fight the outbreak of COVID-19.

The decision went into effect today at dawn, and it will remain in force indefinitely, said the governor in a statement.

“The decisions I am taking are based on a reassessment of the situation,” said Ghannam, who voiced her concern that such closure for enterprises could lead to a total paralysis of life.

Ghannam stressed that the closure is aimed at containing the outbreak of the virus in Ramallah governorate although no case of COVID-19 has been discovered in the governorate.

She noted that the relevant authorities would conduct inspection visits to various facilities to ensure implementation of the decision and that all violators will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem governor, Adnan Ghaith, issued a similar order for the areas of the occupied city under his authority calling for not holding any conference, workshops and other forms of indoor activities pending the issuance of new instructions. He also instructed closing all halls for weddings and other similar activities.

K.F./M.K.