Amude – North-Press Agency
Avin Sheikhmous
The news spread intensively and frighteningly throughout the world about the insane outbreak of the coronavirus, which caused a wave of fear and panic among people and governments that took many measures to limit its spread.
The people of northeastern Syria fear the outbreak of coronavirus, which has infected more than 116,000 people around the world in 115 countries.
Anas Fawzi, a resident of the town of Amude in northeastern Syria, who works in a café in the town, said that he washes the cups of tea and cares more about the cleanliness of the café than before, after the news of the high number of people infected with coronavirus in the neighboring countries, in order to ensure the safety of the place and customers who are there throughout the day.
He added: "The news that we hear about the coronavirus have caused great fear among the people of the region, as everyone started taking precautions against infection, especially as the virus has spread into the neighboring countries with Syria.”
However, he does not know what will be the fate of the country if the virus spreads, so that it is necessary to take precautions against the infection with the virus through following preventive measures and attention to personal hygiene and wearing masks.
The virus has spread in Iraq and Kurdistan Region, which is the closest region to northeastern Syria, so in order to counter the risk of the spread of the virus into the areas of the Autonomous Administration, the Administration has closed Semalka border crossing with Kurdistan Region on March 1.
The number of infected cases with coronavirus in Kurdistan Region has exceeded more than 10 infections according to medical reports issued from the region, and according to those reports, all of the cases were people coming from Iran.
Dilovan Loqo, a resident of Amude, said that he is somewhat reassured that al-Jazira is a high temperature region and that the coronavirus will not have as much impact as other countries, but he warned that everyone should be careful and take precautions against the virus, especially since the region suffers from a shortage of medical supplies.
‘China Today’ newspaper has quoted the Chinese Medical Association researcher Tang Xin, in a study regarding the coronavirus, as saying: "Coronavirus is losing its activity, even more with the increasing temperatures.”
While Zaydan al-Sayed, a doctor specialized in Internal Medicine in Amude told North-Press: "The virus is not new, and it was present among us previously and was prevalent among animals, but it is new for humans after it has become able to transfer between different types of organisms, meaning that this virus has developed itself a little.”
Coronavirus is like any other type of flu viruses, but there is significant media amplification regarding this virus, as the death rate does not exceed 2% of people who are in good health, while the percentage rises between the elderly and those with weak immunity, according to Dr. Zaydan al-Sayed.
He said: "I do not think that this disease will adapt to the weather conditions in our areas, as we are approaching summer time and this disease does not cope in hot climates.”