Despite being a high-risk area due to the war, the continuing deployment of Iranian militias in Syria, the large number of refugees in squalid conditions with no clean water of healthcare, & though the regime ended conscription to prevent spread of the virus to the army, the Assad regime continued to deny any cases of coronavirus until the past several days. It reported its first death yesterday & now reports 19 cases although that figure is met with international scorn & skepticism. In their scorched earth bombing campaign, Russia & Syria have destroyed so many hospitals that the country has limited capacity to deal with an epidemic.
Action Group for Palestinians of Syria reports on the fear felt by Palestinians displaced from Yarmouk refugee camp near Damascus.