ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the lack of commitment to preventative measures, 30-year-old teacher Reem Sha’ar, who fell ill with coronavirus last year along with many other teachers, fears being re-infected with the new strain with the beginning of the academic year in the northern countryside of Aleppo, north Syria.
“No preventative measures against the coronavirus outbreak are implemented in Kafr Naya school or other schools in the northern countryside of Aleppo, where people do not wear masks and there are no sterilizers or thermometers available,” the teacher said.
In late March of 2020, Sha’ar was infected with coronavirus and was transferred to a hospital in Aleppo, where her health condition was critical for ten days as a result of her low oxygen levels. The principal of the school and six other teachers were also infected.
Two days ago, member of the Syrian government’s coronavirus advisory committee Nabough al-Awa said that Syria records daily infections with the Delta variant, infections are increasing, and the country has not reached the peak yet.
Warnings
In late August, al-Awa warned in a statement to the pro-government Watan newspaper against a serious outbreak of the fourth generation Delta strain of coronavirus in the country.
Schools in the government-held areas were scheduled to open in early September, but the Syrian Ministry of Education suspended the schooldays until the 13th of September. The Ministry decided to open schools after they saw the hygiene protocol, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers announced.
Schools in the areas held by Syrian government include more than three million students and over 300,000 teachers, according to the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Ministry stressed the need to comply with the protocol established by the Ministry in order to ensure the health and safety of all students.
Several measures were taken, including demanding health awareness campaigns, having vaccines against coronavirus, and spreading awareness among students and their parents and teachers, according to the government official outlets.
However, these measures and the decision to open schools were widely criticized throughout the country after infections notably increased.
Negligence
During the past few days, the Information Office of the Syrian Ministry of Health recorded an increase in the number of coronavirus infections in government-held areas.
On Tuesday, 157 new coronavirus infections were recorded, including seven deaths in the government-held areas, according to the Ministry of Health.
Sha’ar and her colleges fear a repetition of last year’s catastrophic situation, adding, “Divine Providence saved us from death as a result of being infected with coronavirus,” she added.
“The government, through press outlets, releases statements that they took several measures before the beginning of the new schooldays, but no measures were really implemented,” according to her.
She mentioned the lack of measures, saying, “Health of teachers and students are neglected and never cared for.”
The measures actually implemented before the beginning of the school year were limited to brief oral instructions by the Directorate of Education in Aleppo on the preventive measures that should be taken against Covid-19 in light of the outbreak of the Delta variant, according to Sou’ad Mahmoud Shahwan, a secretary at al-Mansoura School in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
“Additionally, those instructions did not mention the method of implementation for these measures in light of lack of desks in our schools, whose classes are overcrowded with students,” Shahwan indicated.
“How can we implement physical distancing among students according to these conditions, since schools lack all necessary supplies to fight against the coronavirus pandemic?” she asked.
Shahwan called on the Ministry of Education to rehabilitate sanitation in schools, and secure medications and first aid equipment before releasing instructions on countering the infection.
“At least let them secure enough masks and sterilizers for all students and teachers, because schools are a very favorable environment for a rapid spread,” she said.
Difficulty
“The problem lies in the overcrowding in classes, corridors, and yards, in addition to the lack of awareness, particularly in villages,” Tariq Mustafa (pseudonym), an administrator in Aleppo’s Directorate of Education, told North Press.
The administrator believes that having a strict hygiene system for teachers and students to comply with is more useful, although it is difficult to implement.
“For example, every teacher and student must wear a mask and carry hand sanitizer; however, as a result of the deteriorating economic conditions, we cannot force them to do so,” he added.
The Education Ministry cannot cover the expenses of health supplies for all students and teachers, and they cannot reduce the number of students in schools by securing additional desks or constructing new schools, according to him.
“All the ministry can offer is to vaccinate teachers in the coming period,” he elaborated.