Palestine says still free of coronavirus

By Lubaba Zawkan

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Palestinian territories are still free of the novel coronavirus, the Health Ministry confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry said 129 samples have been taken from suspected coronavirus cases since Jan. 20.

"All samples have proved negative for the virus," the statement said.

According to the ministry, 55 people have been quarantined after returning from virus-hit countries.

On Friday, Israel reported three cases of coronavirus, taking the total infections to seven.

Known as COVID-19, the novel coronavirus has now spread to more than 45 countries worldwide, including the U.S., U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

China, where the virus originated, is the worst-hit country, where 2,837 deaths were reported.

The World Health Organization, which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, on Friday raised the global coronavirus alert level from high to "very high".