The Governor of the Damascus Countryside governorate, has said that bread will be distributed to citizens in the governorate, in accordance with the number of family members, through a “smart card” system.
On Sunday, Governor Alaa Ibrahim told Cham FM radio, which is loyal to the regime, “Bread will be distributed via smart card in the Damascus countryside, to the homes of the citizens.”
Ibrahim added that the distribution would be carried out according to family members, whereby each family consisting of three or four people will get one bundle, and every family of five or six will get two, and families of eight and above will get three bundles of bread.
Each bundle of bread in Syria contains about seven flat loaves of bread.
The governor added: “We will start with the most densely populated areas (Jaramana, Duma, al-Tal, Sahnaya, Ashrafieh, Sahnaya) and the big cities. The small towns will carry out distribution through the family book until the smart card is applied.”
This decision was met with displeasure by Syrians on social media. Each person’s share of bread according to this decision is estimated at a loaf and a half—which is not enough for more than one meal per day.
Susan Saeed commented on the decision, announced on Cham FM, saying: “For three or four people, one bundle? This is strange … Isn’t it better to raise the price of bread than let people starve?”
Mahmoud Ali said: “A bundle for every four people? It seems like you’ll starve people to death. Don’t you know that without bread, half the people will go hungry?”
Ahmed Obaid asked, “What can we say? Who is more merciful—you or the coronavirus?”
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.
