Rojava sees record number of new coronavirus cases on eve of holiday

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava) confirmed 17 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number in the region to 25. This is the highest single day tally since the first cases were reported in April, according to the head of the health board.

Co-chair of the health board Jwan Mustafa said late Thursday that 17 people tested positive for the virus: eleven are in Jazeera Region, three in Raqqa province, and three in Deir ez-Zor province.

When the first two cases were reported in April, local authorities imposed lockdown measures and travel restrictions to limit spread of the highly contagious virus and the region did not report another case until six were confirmed in late July.

Friday is the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), also known as Rojava, announced a 10-day lockdown starting on Friday in the Jazeera Region bordering Turkey and the Kurdistan Region, where most of the new cases have been reported. They also ordered the closure of popular gathering spots like cafes, sports halls, and swimming pools.

Collective prayers at mosques are banned.

The borders into Rojava have been closed to all but humanitarian traffic, which must go through a 14-day quarantine period on entry. The closure has stranded many people at the border.

The bodies of persons who died of coronavirus outside of Rojava will not be repatriated. Previously, authorities were carrying out burials in an area near the border.

While the number of cases in Rojava is small, authorities are worried that their limited health resources will not be able to cope with widespread contagion.

The health ministry in Damascus recorded 21 new positive coronavirus tests on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases in regime-held areas to 738. Of this 229 people have recovered and 41 died.

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