Coronavirus outbreak in northeast Syria: 15 cases confirmed, including deaths

The main market of Qamishli city during the curfew in northeast Syria. (Photo: North Press)

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press): The Health Authority of Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on Sunday confirmed fifteen coronavirus infections, including a death, bringing the total number to 101 cases.

Juan Mustafa, the co-chair of Health Authority, said the 15 cases incuded 6 cases in Hassakah city, 5 in Qamishli city and 4 in the northern countryside of Aleppo province.

"The death case was in Hassaka," he said.

Mustafa added that five infections recovered out of the total 101 cases.

Last week, the Autonomous Administration imposed a full curfew on the region for two weeks as a measure to impede the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Syrian Kurdish-led authorities have already taken precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the pandemic to their region, where the health system has been severely damaged and overtaxed by almost a decade of civil war.

Despite such measures, the very real danger of a local coronavirus outbreak still exists and is exacerbated by the lax restrictions in regime-held territories that border the northeast, especially at checkpoints on the outskirts of Deir Ezzor, Raqqa, and Manbij provinces.

 (Reporting by Mohammed Khier; Editing by Hisham Arafat)