RAMALLAH, Thursday, March 12, 2020 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh chaired today a meeting of the Higher Council for Civil Defense (HCCD) and discussed with them the ongoing efforts to fight the COVID-19 (coronavirus) epidemic.

Shtayyeh underscored the importance of further coordination between the Ministry of Health, the Civil Defense and all the concerned parties in fighting the epidemic, which has so far affected 31 people in the occupied Palestinian Territory mainly in the West Bank district of Bethlehem.  

He said the Palestinian government has been dealing with the epidemic as a nationwide concern rather than a sectoral issue that can solely be managed by the Ministry of Health.

A total of 31 cases have tested positive so far for coronavirus in the occupied territories since last week, according to the government.

Of the 31 confirmed patients, 11 cases are females and 20 are males, and three cases are under 18 years. With the exception of one case in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm, the rest are confined to the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem and area towns.

M.N