Palestinian Leader Abbas Declares State of Emergency Over Virus

(Bloomberg) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared a 30-day state of emergency in Palestinian areas of the West Bank after his government found seven people infected with coronavirus.

All schools will be closed for the period, said Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Friday. He also advised against intercity travel, specifically involving Bethlehem, where the PA found the first cases of the illness in a local hotel on Thursday.

Israel’s Ministry of Defense, which administers security in large parts of the West Bank, placed Bethlehem under lockdown until further notice. The city is a major tourist attraction because of its historical religious sites.

To contact the reporter on this story: Fadwa Hodali in Ramallah at fhodali@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Yaacov Benmeleh at ybenmeleh@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams

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