Kurdish Red Crescent in Afrin produces masks do not protect against coronavirus due to lack of capabilities

Northern Aleppo – North-Press Agency

Dejla Khalil

On Friday, the Afrin branch of the Kurdish Red Crescent said that the production of its local workshop in the northern countryside of Aleppo does not meet the international medical specifications, but it will continue to work according to the available capabilities.

Majdoulin Zeno, a member of the Kurdish Red Crescent – Afrin branch, said that the northern countryside of Aleppo is a suitable place for the spread of diseases and epidemics, as a result of its neglect for many years, and lack of health conditions, so "we had to open a workshop to manufacture masks, to prevent even a limited percentage of the spread of coronavirus.

In light of the siege imposed on the northern countryside of Aleppo and lack of medical capabilities and the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Syria, the Kurdish Red Crescent – Afrin branch initiated a workshop to manufacture medical masks, for distribution to medical centers, people of the area and the residents of Afrin living in the area, and to solve the problem of masks' shortage and their high prices.

On the 19th of March, the Kurdish Red Crescent issued an appeal to the World Health Organization in which it said that it lacked masks with medical specifications (N95), in addition to gloves and protective suits for the displaced people, as well as human resources from medical staff to care for the affected cases.

Earlier, the Health Board in the Afrin region stated to North-Press that the northern countryside of Aleppo had not recorded any confirmed infection cases with the virus, noting that 16 infrared thermometers had been secured and distributed at the entrance to the camps and medical points, In light of the ongoing shortage of medical and preventative equipment.