Residents of Aleppo continue to roam despite closure of ancient markets and squares

Aleppo – North-Press Agency
Ali al-Agha

On Wednesday, the streets of Aleppo in northern Syria witnessed a slight movement of pedestrians, in conjunction with the measures of the city's provincial council to close shops, commercial markets, main squares and archaeological sites in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Traffic in the streets of Aleppo were restricted to private cars, taxis and public transportation, as they were excluded from the decision to stop transportation within and between cities, according to the microbus drivers, because they are not affiliated with the Syrian General Directorate of Transport and Communications.

An order was issued by Aleppo City Council to close the main squares in which the people used to gather, such as Saad Allah al-Jaberi Square and al-Azizia Square, and all the markets surrounding the ancient Aleppo Castle were closed. Visits and entry to the castle were prevented, as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus among the people.

Residents of the city say that despite all these measures to prevent the spread of the virus, there are people who continue to sit in the squares who do not care about potential danger. Even the patrols of the Syrian police in the squares did not try to prevent anyone from gathering in the closed square.

The Syrian government team concerned with following up the procedures against coronavirus approved, on Tuesday, a lockdown in the areas under the control of the Syrian government, from 6:00 PM until 6:00 AM, starting today, Wednesday, March 25th. The Ministry of the Interior is charged with issuing the executive instructions and supervising its implementation.