Closure of all shops in Manbij in compliance with the lockdown

Manbij – North-Press Agency

Saddam al-Hassan

All shops and markets in the city of Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, were closed in compliance with a lockdown imposed in northeast Syria, which comes into effect today, Monday.

A source told North-Press that Manbij is witnessing a near-total lockdown, with the exception of food stores, bakeries and private and public hospitals.

Last Thursday, the Autonomous Administration of North and East of Syria announced a lockdown in all its areas, starting from Monday morning, the 23rd of March, without specifying a date for its end, as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.

The Autonomous Administration excluded hospitals, public and private health centers, international organizations, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, pharmacies, sterilization committees, bakeries, food stores, food trucks, and fuel tankers.

Meanwhile, the official Syrian government news agency SANA quoted the Syrian Minister of Health, Dr. Nizar Yazji, on Sunday as having recorded the first infection of coronavirus in Syria for a person coming from outside the country; Dr. Yazji said that "necessary measures were taken to deal with the case."

The registration of the first case of coronavirus in Syria has caused the people of Manbij to abide by the decision to quarantine and follow the directions and recommendations issued by the competent authorities, according to North-Press observations.

On the 19th of March, the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration issued a decision to prevent movement between major cities and civil administrations beginning on the 21st of March as the first stage of the lockdown, as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus.