Palestinian Refugees Distressed as Coronavirus Case Is Reported in Deir Ballout Camp

Palestinian Refugees Distressed as Coronavirus Case Is Reported in Deir Ballout Camp

Dozens of families displaced from Yarmouk Camp and southern Damascus have been struggling for survival in impoverished refugee camps set up north of Syria. Photo credit: AGPS

A 37-year-old resident of the displacement camp of Deir Ballout, in the northern Syrian region of Efrin, has tested positive for COVID-19, in the first such case reported in the camp.

A few days earlier, displaced Palestinian and Syrian families taking shelter in Deir Ballout camp called on the Turkish authorities and AFAD to reopen the local clinic run by MELHEM volunteer group.

The clinic has been closed for a week following a decision issued by the Health Directorate in Ghusn AlZaytoun.

Recently, a state of panic has overwhelmed the Palestinian refugee community taking shelter in war-torn Syria following reports of increased coronavirus cases in and around Damascus.

Displacement camps set up in northern Syria are especially vulnerable as most hospitals and medical facilities have been bombed, rendering them out of order.

Though campaigns to help spread awareness among the camps’ residents have seen the day, limited access to running water, pharmacies and medical facilities means displacement camps are more susceptible to the spread of the highly infectious virus.

Short Link : http://bit.ly/3jsdfWP