Syria: Schools and Universities to be shut amid rising coronavirus cases

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Syria, the government has announced that the primary schools around the region will close down indefinitely next week. However, universities will suspend classes for only two weeks and high schools will remain open. Education Minister Darem Tabbaa told state news agency SANA that the closures will go into effect from Monday. He also said that the final exams for grades five up to high school will be held over four days starting April 25. 

The Ministry of Higher Education further said that the private and public universities will suspend classes for two weeks starting Monday. Earlier, Health Ministry official Hatoun Tawashi told a local radio station that cases rose dramatically last week in schools. However, many students and teachers did not show up. 

Current situation in Syria 

This comes after the World Health Organization is expected to oversee the coronavirus vaccination campaign in Syria, which is expected to begin in April. The aim of the campaign is to inoculate 20 per cent of the population by the end of 2021. The announcement comes amid a surge in cases in various government-held parts of the country. As per the reports by the state media, the intensive care units in state hospitals in the capital Damascus are full. Also, the medical staff has been called to stay on alert to deal with the patients infected with the virus. 

According to WHO, it is not aware about the variants which are spreading in Syria because the country’s laboratory capacity is weak. Also, it has sent samples to labs outside of Syria for more information. The countries surrounding Syria have seen variants both from the UK and South Africa.  

In March, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma tested positive for the coronavirus. Both of them showed mild symptoms and the couple did PCR tests after they had minor symptoms. However, both of them continued working from home as they isolated themselves for a period of two-three weeks. The pandemic has posed a tough situation for countries all across the globe, however, for Syria, it has been a major challenge with its economy and health care sector crippling due to the decade-long war-like situation. 

With limited PCR tests being conducted, numbers are believed to be much higher, especially in regions of northern Syria, which is outside government control. This comes after various reports revealed that Israel paid an amount of $1.2 million to Russia, in order to secure vaccines for Syria. As a part of the tripartite, Jerusalem would secure the release of an Israeli woman long held captive in Damascus. The other terms of the deal termed as ‘clandestine trade-off’ still remain obscure.

(Image Credits: Representational Image, PTI)