Photo shared online on April 19, 2021, shows a collective Iftar to mark the seventh day of Ramadan held by a charity organization in the Omar Bin al Khattab Mosque in al Bab city in the eastern suburbs of Aleppo governorate, ignoring the importance of observing any social distancing and holding a crowded public event which violates all the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the public.
SNHR notes that the number of cases of COVID-19 infection in northwest Syria is continuing to increase, currently standing at 21,694 in total, including 641 deaths, according to the latest statement issued by the epidemiological surveillance laboratory of the Early Warning, Alert and Response Network (EWARN) on April 19, 2021.
We affirm that the responsibility for raising awareness and ensuring compliance with these essential health measures lies with the local council and the governing forces and the controlling parties. Accordingly, the Syrian Islamic council and National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, in coordination with all its apparatuses and bodies, must take serious action in regard to this issue, by promoting and encouraging the wearing of masks and the concepts of physical and social distancing, and by issuing bulletins and publishing regular data on the latest COVID-19 figures, as well as following up on the implementation of these measures in order to safeguard all members of society and minimize the risk of infection and death.
