Coronavirus spreads in schools in Syria’s Latakia
LATAKIA, Syria (North Press) – At the beginning of December, the educational sector in Latakia Governorate, western Syria, witnessed a significant increase in the number of coronavirus infections, especially among students.
The increase in the number of infections comes in the near-total absence of precautionary measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The Director of Latakia’s Education Directorate, Imran Abu Khalil, told the pro-government newspaper al-Watan on Tuesday that the number of infections reached 95 so far, including 28 students and 67 educational and administrative staff.
The director of a Latakia school (who refused to reveal his name) questioned the numbers announced by the Education Directorate, describing them as inaccurate.
“The health situation in Latakia’s schools has worsened due to the weakness of precautionary measures and the overriding commitment to the educational curriculum plan related to the lessons,” the director told North Press.
A teacher at Shukri Hakim High School in Latakia told North Press that the classroom includes more than thirty-five students.
He pointed out that the bathrooms, washrooms, extra-curricular activities, breaks, and the density of students are all negative factors in the spread of the epidemic.
According to data published on Tuesday in Latakia Governorate, the Syrian Ministry of Health recorded 972 new cases of coronavirus, 543 recoveries, and 37 deaths from the recorded infections with the virus.