The government team assigned to follow up on the strategy to fight the coronavirus pandemic have made the decision to isolate the Sayyidah Zainab area in the Damascus countryside.
The team also decided to extend the curfew across Syria each Friday and Saturday from 12pm until 6am. The decision aims to reduce public gatherings and restrict movement in areas that become crowded during holidays.
Citizens are allowed to leave their homes only to secure their basic needs during the allowed period.
The government also decided to halt the export of a number of products for a month, including legumes, dairy products, eggs, chlorine and similar substances. This aims to ensure that the local markets are stocked with these products and to reduce their prices. The measure will also allow the Syrian Trade Establishment to import calves to secure sufficient quantities of red meat at subsidized prices.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry received a green light to sell everything produced at its facilities to the Trade Establishment to provide it to citizens at reasonable prices.
On Thursday, the team held a meeting to evaluate the impact of the precautionary measures on the market, especially concerning the availability of basic materials.
It also called on the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection to provide a detailed report on the basic cost of products and the reason behind the hike in their prices. The cabinet shall look into the findings next week during its meeting and take necessary measures in this regard.
It was decided to limit the activity of construction companies during this period, only continuing on basic projects. Also, agricultural pharmacies and nurseries will be allowed to produce fruit trees to meet the needs of the agricultural sector.
The government team urged the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to take the necessary steps, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, to boost measures against the pandemic at nursing homes for the elderly, orphanages and institutes for people with special needs.
The team further reviewed the development process of the unified treatment protocol for patients with COVID-19, which is being designed by an advisory team specialized in studying the experiences of other countries.
The protocol will be circulated to all hospitals and health centers in Syria to unify the mechanism used to deal with the virus.
The Minister of Health Dr. Nizar Yazigi highlighted the measures taken to boost the readiness of the health sector in all governorates, noting that five centers will be used to perform tests for the coronavirus.
The government will also adopt an incentive mechanism to motivate medical teams and provide them with all the necessary equipment.
Concerned ministries were asked to coordinate with the Ministry of Health to dedicate hotlines to answer citizens’ inquiries about the pandemic.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
