The Church of the Nativity in Palestine was closed today amid fears of a potential outbreak in the country as health sector officials announced seven cases of corona virus infection in the Palestinian territories.
Further more, a ban was imposed on foreign tourists in West Bank hotels.
The measures announced by the Ministry of Tourism in the Palestinian Authority are a blow to the city, whose business and shops are largely dependent on Christian church visitors.
The Latin Patriarchate of the Holy Land said that the Church, which was founded in 339 and rebuilt and expanded over the centuries, will close its doors for two weeks, along with other churches and mosques in the Bethlehem area.
The Ministry of Tourism said that the ban on foreign visitors to West Bank hotels will continue for two weeks as well.
The precautionary measures were announced after a few suspected cases emerged. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkila later said that the authorities had discovered seven positive cases, all of which were Palestinian employees at the Angel Hotel in Bethlehem.
Health officials said they suspected the seven cases, the first reported cases in the Palestinian territories to which the infection had been transmitted from tourists who had recently stayed in the hotel.
The mayor and hotel owners said that Bethlehem witnessed, just three months ago, its best birthday in two decades, and that this season was better than 2018, when the number of visitors to the city reached 1.5 million.
"This is seriously affecting us," said Joey Canavati, director of the 58-room Alexander hotel in Bethlehem. "Initially our workers have been laid off for the next 14 days. We will be completely closed," he added.
Kanavati said that the groups of tourists from the United States, Poland and Cameroon had already canceled their reservations.
In the Palestinian West Bank city of Nablus, the governor ordered the closure of Islamic and Christian holy sites as a precaution for public health.
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