Old Gazan factory restored to produce protective suits amid pandemic
Wearing protective suits, workers disinfect marketplaces and streets in Gaza City, 27 March 2020
Sanaa Saida reports in Al-Monitor:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Strip is facing major challenges, especially at the financial and medical levels, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
On March 25, the government in Gaza announced that seven security officers have been infected with the coronavirus, adding that all of them had come in contact with the first two cases that had been recorded March 21.
The Hamas-run Ministry of Health added in a press statement that the seven new cases have been put in a special quarantine in the southern part of the coastal enclave.
“They didn’t leave the quarantine area at the Rafah border crossing and they didn’t mix with anyone from outside the quarantine center,” said the statement.
Hamas authorities, who have run the Gaza Strip since 2007, declared a set of strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the enclave, home to 2 million people. These include a ban on public gatherings and the closure of schools, universities, public parks and mosques.
Amid the crisis, two Palestinian young men based in the northern town of Beit Lahia have started restoring an old factory to produce protective suits as part of their efforts to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Hassan Olwan, who is in his 30s, felt that he should show responsibility toward his people, especially in light of the lack of health supplies and equipment in the blockaded coastal enclave.
He said he and his partner came up with the idea after they contacted Chinese friends to import protective suits. They failed in that effort due to the state of emergency in several countries and travel restrictions around the world, specifically in China, the first epicenter of the virus. “So I asked my friends in China to send me the production standards to manufacture the suits here,” Olwan told Al-Monitor, adding that he was encouraged by his friends to do good for his country.