RAMALLAH, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Monday declared the end of lockdown and a set of new measures in dealing with the COVID-19.
"As we continue to control the spread of the virus, and in light of the workers' tests, the Emergency Committee, the Council of Ministers, security services and governors have recommended new measures that were approved by the president," said Palestine Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye.
Under the new measures, the ban on movement between cities will be lifted immediately, allowing public transportation to normally operate in terms of safety procedures.
Shops, commercial and industrial establishments, including cafes, restaurants, and health clubs as well as mosques and churches will be allowed to open starting from Tuesday morning.
Official bodies will return to work regularly starting Wednesday morning after the end of Eid al-Fitr holiday while observing safety requirements.
Indoor and outdoor halls for group events are being studied by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization.
Nevertheless, the one-month long state of emergency declared by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on May 5 is still in effect.
Palestinian Minister of Health Mai al-Kaila told Xinhua that the tests will continue to be conducted on a daily basis, especially amongst workers recently returning from Israel, who are required to commit to home-bound quarantine.
Precautionary measures are likely to change again in accordance with the results of the new tests in the coming two weeks, as the state of emergency is still on, she noted.
According to official data, nearly 30,000 workers have returned home for the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and a random sample check of 5,408 was conducted, showing no positive cases.
Currently, there are 32,300 cases in-home quarantine under the supervision of the Ministry of Health.
The number of cases registered in Palestine has reached 602, including 475 recovered and only five dead. Enditem
