Mosques and churches in Bethlehem closed because of the coronavirus. In Palestine, a state of emergency was declared

Mosques and churches in Bethlehem will be closed due to the Covid-19 epidemic, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. The measures also concern the Church of the Birth of the Lord, the place where, according to the Christian tradition, Jesus was born, writes Agerpres . Also, a state of emergency was declared in Palestine because of the coronavirus.

The closure for a period of 14 days comes just a few weeks before Easter, when thousands of pilgrims visit the church.

Under the measures, all hotel reservations for tourists visiting the West Bank will be canceled, according to Wafa, in the context where there are currently several suspected cases of infection with the new coronavirus at a hotel in Bethlehem.

State of emergency in Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a 30-day state of emergency on Thursday after coronavirus cases were reported in the West Bank city of Bethlehem..

The decree was announced by Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh hours after officials closed the Church of Birth in Bethlehem, the place where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus was born, and forbade the presence of foreign tourists in hotels in the West Bank.

“We have decided to declare a state of emergency in all Palestinian areas to deal with the danger of coronavirus and prevent its spread,” Shtayyeh said, reading from the decree.

Shtayyeh stated that Abbas had given him full authority to oversee the implementation of the decree and, as a result, decided to close all schools, colleges and kindergartens and to cancel reservations made by foreign tourists.