Quarantine center established for Syrian refugees in Kurdistan Region of Iraq
ERBIL, Iraq (North Press) – Ahmed Abdo, an administrator in camps management and coordination in the Barzani Charity Foundation, said on Monday that “after establishing Hassan Sham center, which serves three IDP camps, we will establish quarantine centers in the camps of Dohuk soon.”
During the past eight years, number of the Syrian refugees who fled to the Kurdistan Region has reached about 228,000.
“UNHCR formed a quarantine center for coronavirus infections in Hassan Sham camp in Khazer, west of Mosul,” Abdo added.
Camps’ conditions under coronavirus
Abdo revealed that the toll of coronavirus cases in the five camps for Syrian refugees in Dohuk has reached 232, including 32 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the four camps of Erbil have recently recorded two infections in Dar Shokran camp, which were transferred to hospitals in the capital Erbil, according to the official statistics.
“There were suspected cases that were checked; however, they tested negative, while others who had symptoms were subjected to a home quarantine without consulting the official authorities,” he confirmed.
Meanwhile, in Barika camp, the only camp for Syrian refugees in Sulaymaniyah, so far there has been no official count of coronavirus infections there, according to a statement by Hozan Afrini, the head of the Kurdish refugees in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.
“Maybe there are infected people, but they did not visit doctors or reveal their infection, and may have dealt with the infection as a normal disease,” Afrini stated.
“There are about 1,200 families outside Sulaymaniyah in which at least one person of each family has been infected, and the same applies to Barika camp,” he added.
Refugee camps need more hygienic measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, the clinics inside the camps are insufficient, and most cases are transferred to Erbil hospitals, according to Abdo.
“People’s culture and knowledge of the preventative measures contributed to the decline of the number of infections and increased recoveries,” Abdo added.