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RAMALLAH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Monday declared 18 new COVID-19 cases in the West Bank, raising the total number of cases in the country to 252.

Ibrahim Milhem, Palestinian government's spokesperson, said in a press statement that the majority of the new cases are in villages near East Jerusalem, in addition to some in Hebron and Ramallah districts.

Besides, three villages northwest of East Jerusalem, in addition to Beitunia city in Ramallah, have declared infected areas and are under lockdown, he said.

Meanwhile, four cases are in critical conditions and were admitted to an intensive care unit, while 12 patients under quarantine are recovering, said Kamal Shakhra, director of Palestinian Health Ministry's Primary Healthcare Department.

Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila warned earlier that the coming two weeks are expected to see rise in number of cases, which calls for more strict measures and movement restrictions to avoid a collapse in the healthcare system.