Palestinian PM warns of "worse days ahead" amid COVID-19 outbreak

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye on Thursday warned that Palestine is planning for "worse days ahead," amid the increase of COVID-19 cases in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"The coming days are going to be more difficult than before," said Ishtaye in a statement after meeting with the heads of the security forces in his office in Ramallah, over the growing spread of COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.

"According to our estimates, the coming days will be more difficult than before, not only for us but for the entire world. We have to be very careful in dealing with the risk of infection among Palestinian workers returning from Israel," the statement said.

The security forces have quarantined the West Bank village of Biddo, northwest of Jerusalem, where 15 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in the past two days, including a woman who died from the virus on Wednesday.

Earlier on Thursday, the Palestinian government's spokesperson Ibrahim Milhem announced that 13 new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Biddo, bringing the total number in Palestine to 86.

(CGTN)