The coronavirus pandemic has hit Palestine. There are 48 cases, most in the Bethlehem area, isolated in hotels. All are asymptomatic, insha’Allah. Gaza has no cases yet, in spite of two million residents in one of the most densely populated places on earth.

After the first case, the capable Palestinian Minister of Health Dr. Mai Khaleh acted quickly. She immediately closed all schools and religious sites in the West Bank and Gaza.

Palestinians have reacted with steadfastness and love to help others in quarantine. They are rising to the challenge in face of yet another disaster. Gaza especially lacks essential medical supplies and equipment. Palestinians have survived the brutal Occupation; they will survive the coronavirus too.

Our world is facing uncertain and challenging times ahead. It is blindingly obvious that we share this planet and our fates connect. The climate crisis and infectious disease know no boundaries. Economic disaster faces millions.

We must band together - across communities and borders - to control the spread of the coronavirus. Let us commit to help those who are most vulnerable both near and far from us. It is the humane and heroic and Palestinian thing to do.

We wish you health and safety as we navigate this new reality together. We hope a more fair and caring world will come from this global crisis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) website has a page for Palestine. You can subscribe to email updates here (right hand column). WHO also has the most reliable advice on staying safe on their coronavirus page. You can also check out false claims on their mythbusters page.

You can track accurate current numbers by country on the nCoV2019.live website.