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A pickled vegetable vendor wears mouth guards at the Zawiya market in Gaza City. The image is from April 28.
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has decided to extend the coronary emergency in his government-controlled areas in the West Bank until June 5, reports Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The emergency situation was announced two months ago and, among other things, has involved a curfew with few exceptions. The restrictions were eased slightly in April, when some companies were allowed to resume operations in hopes of mitigating the effects of the shutdown on the crippled economy. On Sunday, Abbas allowed tens of thousands of Palestinians working in Israel to return to their jobs.
Mosques and schools are closed and public gatherings are still prohibited.
Palestinian authorities reported 345 confirmed cases of coronary heart disease and two deaths in the West Bank, where some three million Palestinians live.
Seventeen cases of Gaza have been reported in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamist Hamas and has around two million inhabitants. Hamas has closed mosques and schools and imposed restrictions on the public.
