Fourteen American tourists have been quarantined in a hotel near Bethlehem where seven workers tested positive for the coronavirus, according to reports.
They are among at least 40 people, including some 25 Palestinian guests and employees, who were isolated at the Angel Hotel in mostly Christian Beit Jala in the West Bank, according to The Media Line.
The outbreak south of Jerusalem has been linked to a group of Greek tourists who visited Israel and the West Bank between Feb. 19 and 27. They were diagnosed with the virus after they returned home.
Hotel manager Mariana Al-Arja told CNN that the US tourists are in good spirits, but have requested an American doctor visit the hotel to check up on them.
Al-Arja, who is also under quarantine, said the guests have not yet been tested for the illness or seen by a local doctor.
“The Americans left the hotel this morning, but the Palestinian Tourism Police brought them back because they could not secure [another lodging] place,” she told The Media Line.
A Palestinian worker in a protective suit disinfects a bus in Beit Jala town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.REUTERS“Israeli authorities have asked that the Americans be quarantined for 14 days before being admitted to Israel. So far, no samples have been taken from the Americans. We call on health officials to inform us of their plan,” she added.
Palestinian Authority Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Awawdeh told the news outlet that the ministry was “working rapidly and as fast as it can to test everyone and provide clear answers.”
