Children in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, play outside during quarantine
Qamishli – North-Press Agency
Dana Hassan
In the popular neighborhoods in the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria, children are used to meeting in small groups to start playing games, especially in this time of year.
However, what makes this year different from the preceding ones is the outbreak of coronavirus epidemic throughout the world, prompting the governments to impose a quarantine in addition to the lockdown of commercial shops as a preventative measure against the spread of the virus, except for drugs, food, and grocery stores.
On March 15th, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria decided to suspend all of its official departments and institutions from the 16th to 19th of March in order to sterilize them.
Last Monday, the Autonomous Administration announced the extension of the lockdown in all its areas for another 15 days, starting from April 7th until April 21st, as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.
Amina Hussein, a mother of three from al-Gharbiya neighborhood in Qamishli, says that she tends to clean the house daily in addition to sterilizing the door handles.
"My children keep asking me to go out and play…I tell them to wash their hands after coming back, and they also carry hand sanitizers in their pocket whenever they go out," she said.
The Internal Security Forces (locally known Asayish) patrol the streets and neighborhoods of the city to ensure the people and children who are outside stay at home and commit to the imposed lockdown.
Ghayeb Moussa, a father of three young children from al-Gharbiya neighborhood, says that he cannot control his kids and prevent them from going out to play. “All I can do is warn them not to touch their face or mouth while playing."
Severe cases are uncommon in children, though they can be a carrier of the virus and transmit it to adults or elderly individuals with whom they live.
Biyar Moussa, 13, says that he's aware of the fact that coronavirus spread quickly and knows well that he shouldn't touch his face while playing outside.
"Every time I go back home, I wash my hands and clean them very well," he said.
In light of the preventative measures imposed by the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, in order to ensure the safety of the citizens at a time when the people of the region are relatively receptive to the measures, children spend most of their time playing outside, unaware of the importance of taking preemptive steps against the disease. Meanwhile, they wash their hands with water and soap repeatedly, more than usual.
According to the Syrian government official news agency SANA, "33 infections from coronavirus were declared in Syria, five of which have recovered, while two others have died."
Two weeks ago, the Education Authority in al-Jazira region began to record the educational curriculum for preparatory and secondary school students to be shown on television channels and websites, provided that the elementary classes be prepared later.