PA to relax virus restrictions on gatherings, allow shops to reopen

The Palestinian Authority announces it will relax some restrictions on gatherings and allow shops to reopen, even as daily cases of the novel coronavirus increase in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

PA government spokesperson Ibrahim Milhim says the West Bank will see “a careful return to the practices of daily life in a way that will seem almost normal.”

There is reported to be little adherence to social distancing in the West Bank, despite the PA’s attempt to levy restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus.

Many businesses and restaurants have reopened on their own during the lockdown, sometimes with the tacit approval of local PA governors.

The PA’s health ministry says one death and 499 new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed among Palestinians today.

— Aaron Boxerman