RAMALLAH, Thursday, March 26, 2020 (WAFA) – Palestine has a real shortage in coronavirus detecting equipment and urges world governments to provide it with this kit, today said government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem.

“We are facing a shortage in the coronavirus detecting kit,” said Milhem in his daily briefing on the deadly disease in Palestine. “We are in touch with everyone to provide us with this kit.”

Milhem was joined in this appeal by Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs department and member of Fatah Central Committee, who said in a tweet today that President Mahmoud Abbas gave instructions to medical and other authorities to reach out to countries around the world to provide Palestine with this equipment due to its serious shortage here.

Milhem also said that Palestinians working in Israel who return to their homes were the main reason for the recent rise in the coronavirus cases in Palestine and therefore strict measures will be taken to close this gap.

He said the 15 cases confirmed over the last two days in the village of Biddo, northwest of Jerusalem, where a woman was the first Palestinian fatality of this disease, resulted from the sons of the woman who work in Israel.

The government spokesman said the total number of cases in Palestine stands today at 84, correcting an earlier figure of 86.

Of the total, nine are in the Gaza Strip, including seven who were confirmed positive early this morning, all for people who came in contact at the Gaza quarantine center with the two confirmed cases held there.

A total of 17 cases in Bethlehem have recovered and were sent to home quarantine for 14 days, said Milhem.

M.K.