A photo that went viral on social media shows a dense crowd of civilians watching a football match in a playground where they failed to observe any of the social distancing measures imposed to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to identify the location and date of the photo which indicate that it was taken during a football match at the al Sena’i playground in Idlib city on July 17, 2020, in violation of all the precautionary measures introduced to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the public.
The Syrian Human Rights Network notes that the early warning, alert and response network (EWARN) declared the first case of Covid-19 in northwest Syria on July 9, 2020, with the number of cases now detected having reached 13 in total as of the date of this news. We affirm that the responsibility for raising awareness and ensuring compliance with the essential health measures lies with the local council and the governing forces, as well as the relevant sports organizations, 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 idea of quarantine and the “Stay at home” message through physical and social distancing, and by issuing bulletins and regular data on the latest figures and following up on the implementation of these measures to preserve the safety of all members of society and minimize the risk of infection and death.
