Gaza Enters New Phase as Coronavirus Cases Found Outside Quarantine Centers
Date: 25 August 2020 – Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
▻https://www.pchrgaza.org/en/?p=14964
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows with great concern recent developments on the spread of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip, pursuant to the official announcement on Monday evening, 24 August 2020, of four coronavirus cases found for the first time in the Gaza Strip outside quarantine centers and from citizens inside the Gaza Strip. PCHR warns of the catastrophic consequences of the spread of the pandemic in the Gaza Strip considering its exhausted health system due to 14 years of closure and collective punishment, imposed illegally and inhumanly by Israeli occupation forces.
Since Monday evening, Gaza authorities imposed a 48-hour curfew across the Gaza Strip, and suspended work in public and private sectors, and shutdown educational institutions, mosques, markets, wedding halls and clubs, and banned all gatherings in order to contain the virus, identify possible cases and to deal with individuals who had contact with corona cases.
This is the first time a coronavirus case was documented outside the Gaza Strip quarantine centers, as the measures put forward since March 2020 contained the spread of the virus in the Gaza Strip.
As the Gaza Strip endures a 20-hour power outage per day, due to the Israeli ban on the import of fuel for operating the power plant, PCHR fears a dangerous and accelerated deterioration in health conditions, as explained in its detailed press release earlier today.
With these developments, the Gaza Strip witnesses a new and unprecedented phase that will affect all aspects of life and aggravate the already critical humanitarian conditions. (...)
#GAZA