The church built on the Bethlehem site revered as the birthplace of Jesus is to temporarily close after a suspected outbreak of the coronavirus, a church official said Thursday.
The Palestinian health ministry called for local churches, mosques and other institutions to close after a number of suspected cases at a hotel in the city of Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“We respect the authorities’ decision because safety comes first,” the church official said on condition of anonymity.
The decision was taken after suspected cases of coronavirus emerged at a hotel in the biblical city of Bethlehem, with local authorities calling for a state of medical emergency in the city and surrounding towns and villages.
Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported that the Palestinian health ministry said that Angel Hotel in Beit Jala, hosts four suspected cases and will be quarantined.
The Palestinian Authority ordered hotels in the West Bank to stop receiving foreign tourists after four suspected cases of the coronavirus were found in Bethlehem.
The two-week restriction, announced by the Palestinian Tourism Ministry, goes into effect on Friday.
Israel’s Public Security Minister Gilan Erdan is considering barring Palestinians from joining Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, citing coronavirus fears.
Senior defense and military officials held consultations on the matter and are expected to reach a decision later on Thursday, while Erdan asked the head of the National Security Council to examine such a ban.
Read more via Gulf News/Jerusalem Post
