Palestinian students return to school amid coronavirus fears

Hebron, Aug 26 (EFE).- Palestinian students in the West Bank city of Hebron returned to school amid safety measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The new school year began on 16 August in Gaza and the West Bank with some 1.4 million students returning to classrooms after months of closure due to a spike in infections.

The ministry of health has made face coverings mandatory for all school staff and students indoors and outdoors.

“I hope that we will not be forced to close schools or villages in the face of a serious warning and significant increase in infections,” Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila said Thursday.

The Gaza Strip on Monday registered its first cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the enclave’s health ministry confirmed.

Ashraf al-Qedra, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman, urged people to get vaccinated and announced the start of a campaign encouraging vaccine acceptance, especially among older adults. Only some 135,000 out of the blockaded enclave’s 2 million residents have been vaccinated.EFE

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