Palestinian boys ride bicycles on an empty street in Gaza City, Aug. 25, 2020. On Monday evening, the ruling Hamas authorities announced a 48-hour lockdown on the enclave after recording the first four local COVID-19 cases, all members of a family in Gaza's main refugee camp of al-Mughazi. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
by Sanaa Kamal
GAZA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- After the discovery of the first four local COVID-19 cases in the Palestinian coastal enclave of Gaza Strip, local residents on Tuesday rushed to local markets and bakeries to stock up on basic needs.
On Monday evening, the ruling Hamas authorities announced a 48-hour lockdown on the enclave after recording the first four local COVID-19 cases, all members of a family in Gaza's main refugee camp of al-Mughazi.
Ahmed Faraj, a 39-year-old father of four from Gaza city, was among dozens of customers who queued in a long line in front of a local bakery in the Tal al-Hawa neighborhood to buy bread.
He told Xinhua that the "Gaza Strip is not ready for such a crisis," adding that the situation in the enclave "is complicated and frightening, especially as it has been suffering from other crises for some time now."
"People that you see here, including myself, do not have enough money to buy bread and other basic products," Faraj explained.
Due to the strangling blockade on the enclave by Israel since 2007, many Palestinians in Gaza suffer from poverty, unemployment and instability.
"The spread of coronavirus would only cause a new catastrophe, and will further exacerbate their financial burdens," Faraj said.
Starting Monday night, a 48-hour lockdown was imposed on all Gaza's districts, official and educational institutions, while all residents were required to undergo home quarantine during the lockdown hours.
However, the local authorities gave a two-hour permission for the residents to buy their basic needs from markets and stores, which witnessed a high turnout of customers.
Ibrahim Safi, a 48-year-old father of eight, eventually succeeded in buying a few kilograms of vegetables from a local market in Gaza city.
He told Xinhua that the situation in the coastal enclave was very scary and "the atmosphere is like a state of war," adding that the population is racing against time to get their basic needs.
"The future is unknown, the health sector is exhausted and the people suffer from the hard living conditions," Safi said.
However, Gaza Economy Ministry said in a press statement that the enclave has enough stock of food to last for several months, while calling on residents not to panic.
A few hours later, the streets in Gaza seemed empty, while hundreds of police officers were monitoring the situation, urging residents to abide by the strict measures.
All mosques, universities, schools and restaurants were shut down, as public gatherings were banned in the enclave.
Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the Hamas-run Ministry of Health, told reporters that specialized medical teams were working to trace the source of infections related to the four family members and track those who had contacts with them.
Since the outbreak of the deadly virus in the Palestinian territories on March 5, the Hamas-run Ministry of Health has recorded 114 COVID-19 cases in Gaza, 110 of which were imported cases travelling to the enclave through the crossing points with Israel and Egypt.
