We are Lockdowned for 13 Years: Gazans

Gaza Strip, MINA – Responding to the lockdown or quarantine of some people, cities or countries because of coronavirus outbreak, residents of the Gaza Strip say they have been isolated for more than 13 years.

Mustafa bin Khatib (51) told The News on Saturday and understood “the feelings of people in isolation or quarantine throughout the world.”

“We have had quarantine-like situations since 2007,” he said.

Now, residents in the Gaza Strip, even though they are used to being in a blockade situation, are still preparing to face the corona pandemic through preventative measures.

Although no cases of corona have been recorded in Gaza so far, schools have been closed and more than 2,700 people are in isolation, most of whom have just returned from Egypt.

Matthias Schmale, Gaza director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, said he was already operating under conditions of the plague, imposing measures to keep social distance.

With movements in and out of highly restricted areas, the Gaza Strip is probably one of the few places on earth that has the opportunity to remain virus-free, experts say.

But they also warned that a crippling blockade and high levels of poverty, together with dense populations and weak health systems, could create conditions for rapid outbreaks. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)