Fearing Corona expansion in the sector, the IDF recruited 72 reservists • 186,000 food portions were distributed in the Arab communities

As part of the IDF assistance in the Arab sector, a situation assessment was held on Wednesday in Deir al-Assad, led by the Home Front Command and with the heads of Arab heads, the Israeli police and MDA. After its completion, the IDF released a number of data on the IDF's assistance to the Arab sector in dealing with the Corona virus.

Among other things, it was reported that as of April 2, 2020, food distribution in the Arab sector began, and so far 185,809 food portions have been distributed. Also known in favor of aid to the Arab sector, 72 dedicated reservists were recruited to the Arab authorities across the country.

In addition, during the past week, the Bedouin diaspora was led by the Southern District led by the Home Front Command and in cooperation with the Bedouin Directorate, some 3,000 hygiene kits. Kits contain soap, hand sanitizer gel, wipes, and Arabic Ministry health information leaflets.

In the meantime, the Home Front Command has also opened the national emergency portal in the Arabic language in order to make the information available and provide a response to the Arab sector. Four MDA Drive-in Mobile Complexes have been opened with the assistance of the Home Front Command in East Jerusalem, Jesse Al Zarqa, Fureidis and Rahat.

As of Wednesday morning, there are 23 verified corona patients in Deir al-Assad, four patients in Nahaf, three in Nablus and one in Majd al-Chrome. This is an alarming trend in light of previous data collected in the area that could indicate an outbreak of the epidemic in the localities.

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The Ministry of Health in coordination with the Home Front Command, MDA, local councils and the Israeli police to handle the incident and residents in Deir al-Assad and surrounding communities were called to quarantine and not leave their homes and maintain this social remoteness following the epidemiological investigation carried out by the Northern District Ministry of Health Concern about hundreds of potential contractor contacts.

Police checkpoints at Deir al-Assad entrance // Photo: Herzi Shapira

Deputy Mayor Nimar Hussein told Israel Today: "We are afraid of hundreds of cases of contagion and in consultation with all parties we have decided that in the first stage all residents of Deir al-Assad and the surrounding area should be put in at least 24 hours quarantine."

According to the deputy head of the council, residents of Deir al-Assad and the surrounding area are alerted to the fear of an outbreak of the epidemic following a steep rise in the number of verified infections over the past 24 hours: " With some of the residents and employees. Unfortunately, due to the holiday, we are currently unable to conduct tests for anyone who comes into contact with the Palestinian kosher overseer and slaughterhouse. These are several hundred people and the tests will be carried out as soon as the holiday is over. Hussein emphasized.

Meanwhile, Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi, who is chairing the health committee on the joint list, announced this morning that he reached agreement with the CEO of Mada Eli Bin and the chairman of Deir Alasad Council, to immediately open the "Checked and Travel" station in the locality, following the increase in the number of infected persons in the locality. Tibi asked residents who feel they have symptoms to call MDA and get tested: "We are all recruited to fight the spread of the corona virus and must comply with the Ministry of Health's instructions, stay home and not congregate," he said.

Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi and CEO Mada Eli are among the // speakers of the Minister

The Arab Localities Committee and the Adalah Center for Arab Sector Rights argue that the lack of accessible test complexes for the Corona epidemic in the Arab communities in the north and other parts of the country will result in a high level of morbidity in the Arab sector and that this is a failure of the authorities to raise human lives.

In a petition issued by the Adullah Center to the Supreme Court, the judges emphasized that the policy of allocating resources for conducting the tests is unclear and that the state should consider establishing additional test complexes for the population in the Arab communities.