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North-Press Agency<\/strong><\/p>\n Rawan Jumi<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The quarantine imposed because of the coronavirus outbreak has allowed Syrian mothers in European and Arab countries to spend time with their family and children, who they see it as an opportunity to strengthen ties with their children and establish their relationship with their Syrian homeland.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many countries in which the epidemic has spread have taken strict measures in an attempt to contain the virus, most notably the ban on movement and the quarantine, which is defined by the World Health Organization as staying at home and away from others and ensuring the absence of symptoms of the disease, which caused almost complete paralysis of daily life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An opportunity to rest<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This led to a change in the lifestyle of millions of people around the world, and imposed a kind of social distancing on them, as a result of the lack of direct contact between people during the quarantine period in order to reduce infection by coronavirus.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fidan Othman, a resident of Germany, believes that the quarantine has been a period of rest for her since she arrived in the country five years ago, as she has always “wanted to stay at home” as a result of her constant commitment to education courses and her work in a local kindergarten.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Othman lives with her two daughters in the northern city of Schwerin. In an interview with North-Press, she said, "The nature of life in Germany has drained our energy, so I enjoy staying at home. I see it as an opportunity to sit with my family and get closer to my daughters.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Home activities<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The World Health Organization has put out a set of recommendations and tips to address emergency and unusual conditions, such as those imposed by the spread of coronavirus. These include trying to maintain as normal a routine as possible, exchanging protection, support and solidarity by sharing phone numbers with neighbors and close friends, listening to children and getting close to the elderly, in addition to avoiding spreading false information that increases anxiety and stress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some medical centers also advised people to take advantage of the time to rest and practice home activities which people have missed during their daily preoccupations.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jiyan Qaraman, who lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and has two daughters aged eight and ten, believes that the period of self-quarantine imposed in the UAE since the 3rd of last March is an opportunity to obtain relief from the stress of working outside and inside the house, and an adequate opportunity to communicate with the family in Syria.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n "My daughters and I haven't been out of our home for a month, and it is a good opportunity to spend time with them. I have made a set of activities for them to do while they continue their online school lessons," Qaraman said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She added, "this period was very good to make my daughters aware of the culture and heritage of the Kurds, because the lifestyle and education in the United Arab Emirates forced my daughters to communicate in Arabic and English. But I insisted that they speak their mother tongue inside the house, and this is my responsibility, so during this period I intensified their Kurdish lessons so that they will know our culture and heritage."<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, she says, "I hope that this epidemic will pass quickly and will be eliminated, because I am very afraid that my daughters will get the infection, especially because the little one suffers from asthma, so I am very keen to follow preventative measures."<\/p>\n <\/p>\n No social relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last March 25th, the World Health Organization officially called for changing the term "social distancing" and replacing it with the term "physical distancing", in order to clarify an important idea, which is that staying at home does not mean cutting off your social relationships with your friends and family, but moving away from them physically to prevent spreading the disease.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sweden was one of the countries that did not impose a quarantine but instead adopted a set of measures to limit the spread of the epidemic, such as imposing a punishment for a meeting of more than 50 people in one place with a six-month prison sentence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Somaya Issa, a mother of five and resident of Gavle, Sweden, said: "There are no relationships and social visits, although the government did not decide that, but we, as residents, cancelled our plans with others and stopped having direct contact."<\/p>\n <\/p>\n She added, "What concerns me in this ban is to take care of my five daughters and to allow them to go out for an hour during the day, provided that they do not contact with anyone, and I insist that they follow personal hygiene."<\/p>\n <\/p>\n