This photo, shared online on February 26, shows al Kendi Cinema Hall in Latakia city full of civilians crowded together without social distancing and ignoring the importance of wearing protective facemasks, which violates all the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the public.
SNHR notes that the numbers of COVID-19 cases in areas under the Syrian regime’s control are constantly increasing, having already reached 15,533 cases, including 1,023 deaths, according to the Syrian Ministry of Health’s latest statement issued on February 27, 2021. Despite this, however, the Syrian regime has taken no real action to stop the overcrowding among citizens attempting to obtain essential items such as bread and gas and to collect their salaries; this negligence on the regime’s part is a blatant violation of the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the transmission or spread of the disease. The SNHR notes that this is further confirmation that a regime which is already responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displacing 12 million more as refugees and IDPs will not care for its people.
The Syrian regime has failed to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among Syrian citizens, and bears the responsibility for its spread as a result of its neglecting to implement the precautionary measures stipulated by the World Health Organization.
