A Palestinian woman wearing a face mask shops at a supermarket in Gaza City on Sept. 22, 2020. Palestine on Tuesday recorded 557 new cases infected with the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 46,614. In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-ruled government has recently eased the coronavirus restrictions. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
RAMALLAH, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Tuesday recorded 557 new cases infected with the novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections to 46,614.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said in a press statement that the ministry recorded five further fatalities from the new virus, raising the total number of deaths to 314.
She warned that the Palestinian territories would witness a new wave of coronavirus if the local residents did not abide by the health measures.
In the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-ruled government has recently eased the coronavirus restrictions.
The government allows big malls, supermarkets, shops of clothing and mobiles to open their doors for 12 hours a day. Besides, it allows the movement inside the governorates as long as the people abide by the health and preventive measures, according to the interior ministry of Hamas.
The unprecedented situation caused significant damage to the people of the Strip, as economic losses are estimated at hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars, according to Maher al-Tabaa, a media official at the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce in Gaza.
Al-Tabaa said that the Strip has already suffered from the worsening economic situation due to the continued Israeli blockade, adding that the new virus has exacerbated this crisis.
So far, the Gaza Health Ministry has recorded 2,445 COVID-19 cases and 17 fatalities from the new virus. Enditem
