JERUSALEM, Sunday, April 12, 2020 (WAFA) – The government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem confirmed today 19 cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the occupied Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan.

Milhem blamed the Israeli occupation‘s government for obstructing the work of the Palestinian government in the occupied city, which has crippled its ability to properly monitor the spread of the novel disease within the Palestinian neighborhoods.

He said the government has nevertheless been closely following up on the situation of the Palestinian neighborhoods of the city during the past few weeks, despite the many obstacles to its work. He said the latest of these Israeli obstacles was the arrest of the Palestinian Authority‘s Governor of Jerusalem and the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs.

Local sources have suggested a total of 36 coronavirus cases among the Palestinian population of occupied East Jerusalem, while rights group estimated the number to be between 65 and 70.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said today that no further cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the occupied West Bank.

Kamal al-Shakhra, General Director of Primary Care in the ministry, said 521 people in the West Bank who were tested for the disease all came back negative.

A total of 268 cases of coronavirus, 58 recoveries and two deaths have been confirmed so far in the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the disease in early March.  

M.N