(Zaman Al Wasl)- Turkish-backed Syrian forces closed a crossing point with Kurdish-held areas in northern Aleppo province to prevent a novel coronavirus outbreak, according to a statement issued Friday.
The National Army said the closure of Oun al-Dadat crossing was over concerns that the coronavirus would spread widely in the opposition-held areas.
Meanwhile, aid agencies are moving to prevent the novel outbreak in war-torn northwestern Syria, where devastated health infrastructure and massive displacement make containment an almost impossible task.
Syria has not yet confirmed any coronavirus cases, but its "fragile health systems may not have the capacity to detect and respond" to an epidemic, said World Health Organization spokesman Hedinn Halldorsson.
The risk of an outbreak is especially high and most alarming in Syria's northwest, where three million people are trapped in a shrinking rebel bastion battered by months of deadly bombardment.
With close to one million people displaced since December by a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive on the Idlib region, overcrowded settlements are teeming with fresh arrivals.
Across the world, the number of coronavirus cases has topped 120,000 and nearly 5,000 have died as the outbreak spread to more countries, prompting greater economic damage.
Zaman A Wasl
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