Warnings of “tragic” situation due to coronavirus in Syria’s Raqqa
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, the city of Raqqa, north Syria, witnessed a relative commitment to the complete lockdown, coinciding with the first day of Ramadan, amid warnings of a tragic situation awaiting the region in case the recklessness of the preventative measures continues.
The previous days witnessed a lack of commitment to the lockdown decision by the population, head of the Health Care Department at Raqqa Civil Council, Ali Abdel Aziz told North Press.
Abdel Aziz indicated that the number of the infections recorded in Raqqa, warns a tragic situation if the residents do not commit to the lockdown.
He added that the previous periods of lockdown have proven success in reducing the number of the infections due to the commitment of the people, unlike the current situation.
Ismail al-Berjes, a resident of the village of Tel al-Samen, north of Raqqa, believes that despite the complete lockdown decision to curb coronavirus, the residents are still forced to go out to work and secure their families’ simple needs.
Al-Berjes called for economic measures that would reduce the economic burden that the residents of Raqqa suffer from.
On April 12, Muhammad Jaber, supervisor of the Triage Department in Raqqa, said that the number of positive coronavirus tests has exceeded 50% of the total number of people who were swabbed.
The Triage is a newly created department at Raqqa National Hospital responsible for screening suspected cases of coronavirus and taking medical swabs for them.
On April 6, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) imposed a one-week complete lockdown in the cities of Qamishli, Hasakah and Raqqa in addition to a partial curfew in all of the areas it controls in northeast Syria.
On April 13, the AANES imposed a 10-day lockdown in all of the areas it controls in northeast Syria until April 22.
“We have reached a very dangerous phase, and the situation heralds a catastrophe in northeast Syria as a result of the weak capabilities which are unable to address the virus,” said Jiwan Mustafa in a press conference held in Qamishli yesterday.
The latest toll of coronavirus infections in the regions of northeast Syria has reached 12,756 confirmed cases, including 432 deaths and 1,382 recoveries.
In mid-March, WHO announced that the first batch of coronavirus vaccines of the COVAX, will arrive in Syria within weeks.
It is expected that 90,000 doses of the vaccine will reach the AANES-held areas.
The organizations considered that allocating this number to a “geographical area that includes more than 5 million people” is astonishing.
Earlier, Akjemal Magtymova, head of Mission and WHO representative to Syria, said that vaccines would reach the Kurdish-held areas through Syria government.