GAZA, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic Hamas movement, which is in control of the Gaza Strip, tightened on Friday precautionary measures to battle the fast spread of the coronavirus.
The Hamas-run interior ministry said in a statement that the tightened measures came after the local health authorities recorded the first cases of the new variants of the virus.
The statement said a night lockdown is imposed from 9 p.m. until 6 a.m. every day, and on Fridays and Saturdays, traffic, public markets, and shops will be closed except bakeries and pharmacies.
The new measures also included the closure of wedding halls and the banning of indoor and outdoor wedding parties at home or on the streets, but schools will remain open from Sunday to Thursday, according to the statement.
The Gaza Strip has recently witnessed an unexpected surge in daily COVID-19 infections after the detection of more contagious strains in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
On Friday, the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said 2,248 new COVID-19 cases and 16 deaths were registered across the Palestinian territories during the last 24 hours. Of the total infections registered, 1,063 were from the West Bank while the remaining 1,185 were in the Gaza Strip.
Vaccination campaigns have been carried out across the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. So far, 89,933 people have received their first jab of the vaccine in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, while 10,146 have received the second dose, according to the health ministry. Enditem