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Lockdown burden for cash-strapped Palestinians
Lockdown burden for cash-strapped Palestinians

Lockdown burden for cash-strapped Palestinians

The Palestinian health ministry reported a total of 6 992 ­confirmed infections and 43 deaths across the West Bank. That compares to about 2 680 infections and seven deaths as of July 7.
Phillepus Uusiku
By Hossam EZZEDINE



For Palestinians already hit financially by the coronavirus pandemic, a new round of restrictions has added to their woes as infections in the occupied West Bank spike again.

When the Palestinian Authority decreed the new 14-day lockdown, some businessmen took to the streets of Hebron, the city with the territory's highest infection rate, in defiance of a curfew.

The next day in Ramallah, where the PA is based, about 50 merchants rallied to voice their anger and demand the reopening of their shops, some of which had been shuttered for days before the curfew went into effect.

They had previously suffered a lockdown for several weeks, imposed at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Those who ask people to stay at home have to take care of their needs,” said Mohammed Nasr, owner of a grocery store in central Ramallah.

“We're not only asking for the opening of stores, but also for a return to normal life and the ability to move about.” Without that, he said, “we have no customers”.

The PA began easing a first round of lockdown measures in May, but since then it has recorded a surge of new infections.

Officials have attributed this to people failing to observe social distancing and to travel, mainly of workers, between the West Bank and Israel where infections have also surged.

The Palestinian health ministry, in its daily update Wednesday, reported a total of 6 992 confirmed infections and 43 deaths across the West Bank. That compares to about 2 680 infections and seven deaths as of July 7.

The PA therefore decided on Sunday to extend a closure of the West Bank in force since July 5, to allow only ­pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets to remain open. It also imposed a nightly and weekend curfew for two weeks.

Facing a public backlash, regional governors have issued rulings contradicting those from Ramallah, allowing some stores to remain open.

Seeing the need to cut some slack, the PA on Monday evening authorised small businesses to stay open, subject to social distancing and wearing of face masks.

“The coronavirus comes at a critical time for the Palestinian Authority, because of its decision to stop cooperation with Israel,” said political analyst Abdelmajid Sweilem.

The PA decided at the end of May to suspend all cooperation with the Jewish state over the latter's plan to annex parts of the West Bank, under Israeli occupation since 1967.

The move hit the PA's revenues: Israel is supposed to collect and transfer to the Palestinians roughly 687 million shekels (US$200 million) a month in VAT and customs duties levied on products imported by Palestinians through Israeli-controlled entry points.– AFP

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Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53% Sport results: Weather: Katima Mulilo: 19° | 36° Rundu: 19° | 29° Eenhana: 19° | 29° Oshakati: 21° | 30° Ruacana: 20° | 33° Tsumeb: 19° | 29° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 29° Omaruru: 19° | 32° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Gobabis: 17° | 30° Henties Bay: 16° | 20° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 11:22, High tide: 05:24, Low Tide: 23:26, High tide: 17:46 Swakopmund: 16° | 17° Wind speed: 24km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:22, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:44 Walvis Bay: 16° | 22° Wind speed: 27km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 11:20, High tide: 05:21, Low Tide: 23:24, High tide: 17:43 Rehoboth: 19° | 30° Mariental: 23° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 35° Aranos: 22° | 33° Lüderitz: 15° | 28° Ariamsvlei: 24° | 35° Oranjemund: 14° | 25° Luanda: 27° | 28° Gaborone: 20° | 32° Lubumbashi: 17° | 26° Mbabane: 16° | 21° Maseru: 11° | 29° Antananarivo: 16° | 27° Lilongwe: 17° | 27° Maputo: 20° | 28° Windhoek: 17° | 29° Cape Town: 17° | 28° Durban: 20° | 24° Johannesburg: 16° | 24° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 20° | 30° Harare: 16° | 29° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.77 | EUR to NAD 20.36 | CNY to NAD 2.61 | USD to NAD 18.89 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.33 | EGP to NAD 0.39 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.74 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.77 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.23 | USD to DZD 134.14 | USD to AOA 832.63 | USD to BWP 13.71 | USD to EGP 47.35 | USD to KES 130.98 | USD to NGN 1415.13 | USD to ZAR 18.89 | USD to ZMW 25.01 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 74536 Up +0.85% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1528.69 Up +0.84% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 12986.94 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 27559.35 Down -2.36% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 233.12/OZ UP +1.93% | Copper US$ 3.99/lb UP +0.12% | Zinc US$ 2 455.50/T UP 0% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 87.65/BBP UP +1.46% | Platinum US$ 908.62/OZ UP +1.53%