COVID-19 Threatens the lives of 1.4 million displaced people in Northern Syria

By the end of July, the number of COVID-19virus cases in northern Syria reached 31, after tests were conducted on about 3500 people.
The risk of the spread of the COVID-19virus threatens the approximately 1.4 million displaced people residing in camps in northern Syria, who lack the minimum personal protective equipment.
According to official sources, the first recorded case of the virus in the region of northern Syria was on the ninth of July. It was announced by the interim government’s Health Minister, Maram Al-Sheikh, in a tweet on his account on the same date. The tweet read: “Today we are sorry to announce the first positive case of COVID-19 virus, a healthcare worker working in a hospital in Idlib.”

In response to the current situation, the health awareness team of Watan worked in various ways to urge the population in northern Syria to adhere to preventive measures to protect them from infection with the COVID-19 virus. They did this through awareness campaigns in camps and drawing illustrative paintings on the walls. In addition to this they are distributing hygiene baskets to the displaced in the camps and providing them with clean and sterile water daily.