UN: Coronavirus risk still present in Syria, precautionary measures relaxed too soon

North-Press Agency

 On Tuesday, UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen warned that the threat of an outbreak of the new coronavirus is still present in Syria, despite the decrease in numbers.

"Fortunately, Syria has not yet witnessed a widespread outbreak of COVID-19", he said, noting that the risk of its spread remains.

He pointed to the early start of easing measures taken by the Syrian government and Autonomous Administration in order to contain the pandemic, warning of "the devastating consequences in case of the disease’s spread.”

Pedersen said that the number of officially reported cases has reached 64, of which 58 were in government-controlled areas and six in the northeast, with no reported cases in the northwest.

Regarding the economic crisis Syria, Pedersen said, “the COVID-19 crisis added a new burden to the serious and worsening Syrian economic stalemate, which came as a result of many internal and external procedures over a decade of conflict.”

He said that the continued collapse of the Syrian pound in recent weeks "reflected the purchasing power of ordinary Syrians."

The UN envoy asked Russia and the United States to invest in the period of calm that followed the curfew in order to start a dialogue on Syria and prevent the recurrence of violence.