As the gatherings continue, Hasakah residents question coronavirus lockdown after two cases announced

Hasakah – North-Press Agency

Jindar Abdulqader

Residents in the city of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, criticized crowding in the city despite its exception from the facilities mentioned in the decision of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria to extend the ban for the fourth time early this month.

Saeed Ahmad, a 29 – year – old resident of the Tal Hajar neighborhood of Hasakah, criticized what he called residents’ “lack of compliance” with precautionary measures to confront the danger of coronavirus, “such as wearing gloves, masks, or committing to physical distancing in crowded places," he said.

Violations

He added that many violations took place during the lockdown period, "where restaurants and various commercial stores were closed, but in turn, "groceries, vegetable stores, and bakeries were crowded."

Ahmad wonders about the feasibility and effectiveness of the ban when "people are gathering, shaking hands, and exchanging visits."

On the 29th of April, the Health Board announced two new cases of coronavirus, a couple from al-Omran neighborhood west of the city, specialized medical teams tested them and the results came back positive. The two cases are being monitored by medical teams, one of which was quarantined at home in Hasakah while the other remains in the Syrian government-run National Hospital in the city of Qamishli.

Lack of health awareness

Hassan Sharif, a 31 – year – old resident of Hasakah’s al-Nasra neighborhood, said that the measures taken by the Autonomous Administration were not studied "accurately" regarding how the residents dealt with mixing, leaving the house, and buying necessities from the markets.

He added that part of the lack of commitment stems from the absence of health awareness among the population. "It is the responsibility of the Administration to increase and maintain this awareness," Sharif said.

Despite declaring two coronavirus infections in the city, the security square (a geographical area in which a number of government security headquarters are present) and the Syrian government-controlled neighborhoods of al-Mahata and al-Qudat are still witnessing normal movement by the population without adhering to preventive measures.

Earlier this week, the Health Board in the al-Jazira region held the Syrian government responsible for the two cases of coronavirus in Hasakah, noting that the two infected were "illegally smuggled" to the al-Jazira region, because the Syrian government had not closed the Qamishli airport to arrivals.