This photo shows civilians overcrowded during the Friday prayers in Saed Bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in Idlib city taken on September 18, 2020, which clearly violates all the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the public. SNHR notes that the early warning, alert and response network (EWARN) announced the first case of COVID-19 in northwest Syria on July 9, 2020, with the number of cases detected now reaching 464 in total, including five deaths, as of the date of this report.
We affirm that the responsibility for raising awareness and ensuring compliance with essential health measures lies with the local council and the governing forces, and urge the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, in coordination with all its apparatuses and bodies, to also take serious action in regard to this issue, by promoting and encouraging the concept of quarantine and the ‘Stay at home’ message, through advocating physical and social distancing, by issuing bulletins and regular data on the latest figures, and by monitoring the implementation of these measures to preserve the safety of all members of society and minimize the risk of infection and death.
