Gaza registered its second death from COVID-19 and nine more local contagions on Wednesday. These figures show that the pandemic is spreading inland.
RELATED:
Young Palestinian Is Killed by Israeli Troops in West Bank
A 61-year-old man, who was recently connected to a respirator, became the second victim of the pandemic on the Strip. Previously, in May, a 77-year-old woman died too.
Health authorities also reported nine new infections: two in the north, one in Gaza capital, and six more in the Al Mughazi refugee camp, where the first four local infections were detected on Monday, all of them from the same family.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the strip - with two million people - has registered 119 COVID-19 cases. In the past week, all new cases were "imported" by people who returned from abroad and were admitted to border quarantine centers upon arrival. The latest thirteen COVID-19 cases, however, have been detected within the local population.
The endogenous transmission of the disease represents a very serious threat to public health in a territory that is blocked and has scarce medical resources.
On Monday, the Islamist Hamas movement, which de facto rules the Strip, decreed a 48-hour lockdown, which would be lifted tonight if it is not prolonged.
Only bread ovens, grocery stores, and pharmacies are open until now. The population stays indoors and hospitals are on alert.