nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
[ April 21, GoS ]  The Ministry of Higher Education announces that students of public and private universities and institutes will return to work as of Sunday morning 4/25/2021 and authorizes university professors to set programs for resuming the open education system examinations
[ 16 Jan 2021, NES  ( Al Hasakeh )  ]  Water was again cut off from the city of Hasakah and its countryside in northeastern Syria on Saturday, due to the suspension of Alouk Water Station.
The government also took several decisions to ease stay at home and other travel restrictions. While this relaxation of restrictions risks spreading the virus, it is a consequence of the very dire economic situation Syrians are going through.
[ 16 Jan 2021, NES ]  In some cases, water cut off  ( due to suspension of Alouk Water Station )  lasted for about a month, especially with the outbreak of coronavirus in the regions of AANES, the last of which was from November 22 to December 21, 2020.
COVID 19 has already had impacts on the availability of farm inputs, particularly in countries that were affected at an early stage.
Northwest:As of August 5, there are 40 confirmed COVID 19 cases in the north west, with 3,633 tests completed. 15 people have recovered, according to the Interim Ministry of Health.
People are unable to socially distance themselves while they need to stand in endless queues to receive the meagre subsidies they need. And they are not taking any measures
[ 14th January 2021 ]  Security concerns may also hamper access to the vaccine. For instance, those blacklisted, living undercover, with a reconciliation card or who have not done the mandatory military service may “be hesitant to visit public health centers,' al Nahhas said,given the risk of encountering police officers or others with ties to security agencies there. “If it requires traveling to Damascus, that means people will have to go through checkpoints, and this is also another layer of risk.'
[ November 2020, Syria ]  The increase in the food basket price over the last month is largely led by the doubling in price of subsidized bread across government controlled areas in Syria, from SYP 50/bundle to SYP 100/bundle with a nylon bag and the decrease in the bundle's size from 1.3 kg to 1.1 kg. Fuel shortages and continued weakening of the informal exchange rate between October and November 2020 also contributed to the food basket price increase.
[ April 15, GoS ]  Extending the suspension of working hours in Syrian public and private universities and institutes until Saturday 4 24 2021
While new businesses, particularly retail shops, have been allowed to reopen, the government has introduced a plan to limit openings to specific weekdays based on each sector of activity.
[ 15th November 2020, Overall Syria ]  Health Ministry announced on Sunday that 71 new Coronavirus cases were registered in Syria, and 49 patients have recovered while 4 others have passed away.
[ 15th November 2020, Overall Syria ]  The ministry added in a statement to SANA that the total number of Coronavirus infections registered in the country till now has reached at 6684, out of which 2714 ones have recovered while 345 others have passed away.
In the harsh conditions of the Al Hol camp, international NGOs, United Nations agencies and local authorities worked towards improving people's living conditions and supporting their basic needs.
[ 1st October, Overall Syria ]  Enforcement: Decisions to lift restrictions and enforcement measures, particularly at a time when the transmission risk is increasing, has resulted in reduced adherence to personal preventative measures and a misplaced confidence
Nine years of conflict has left Syria's healthcare system at the brink of collapse. Data from WHO and Syria's Ministry of Health  ( MoH )  shows that out of the total 111 public hospitals in Syria, only 58 are fully functioning, with the remainder either partially functioning  ( 27 )  or fully destroyed  ( 26 ) . 5 On March 6, 2020, a UN report stated that up to 70% of the health workers had left the country as migrants or refugees.
In May, there were 24 primary healthcare clinics in the camp; by early August there were just 15
[ 13th November 2020, Overall Syria ]  Health Ministry announced on Friday that 66 new Coronavirus cases were registered in Syria, and 51 patients have recovered while 4 others have passed away.
[ 13th November 2020, Overall Syria ]  The ministry added in a statement to SANA that the total number of Coronavirus infections registered in the country till now has reached at 6552, out of which 2609 ones have recovered while 337 others have passed away.
The population distribution is consistent with the typical age/sex ratio across Syria, where there is typically a significant youth bulge, followed by people in the age category of 18 to 35 years. However, the dependency ratio of children  ( under 15 years old )  and seniors  ( over 60 years old )  to active members is significant and suggests increased burden of care for active men and women in the shelters. 53% of the residents of collective shelters with SADD data were female and 47% were male.
35,563 Palestine refugees received this payment in July concurrently with the second round of distribution of 2020.
[ 17 Dec 2020, GoS ]  The Executive Office of the Hama Provincial Council decided to close all the wedding and funeral halls and closed ceremonies in Hama, Soran and Suqaylabiyah, starting from 17 December and for a period of one month.
As of April 2020, approximately 2,740,000 people are internally displaced in NW Syria with 961,286 of them displaced since December 2019. While over 990,000 IDPs are reported to have turned to camps for shelter, nearly 1.5 million IDPs have sought shelter in residential urban areas.
[ 14th November 2020, Overall Syria ]  Health Ministry announced on Saturday that 61 new Coronavirus cases were registered in Syria, and 56 patients have recovered while 4 others have passed away.
The Government of Syria  ( GoS )  began taking gradual precautionary measures at the beginning of March, three weeks before it announced the first case. These measures included the partial closure of borders; the suspension of the majority of unessential economic activities; the reduction of the public sector to 40% of its capacity through the introduction of a two shift part time system; and the closure of schools, universities, restaurants and other nonessential public facilities
UNRWA distributed personal protection equipment to 125 sanitation laborers.
In communities where barriers to accessing sufficient water were reported, 83% of responses cited the high price of water trucking as problematic. The high cost of water was linked with reported negative coping strategies, such as bathing less and/or washing laundry less frequently  ( reported by KIs in 47% of communities each ) . Modifying typical hygiene practices may impact the prevention of COVID 19.
KIs in 58% of assessed communities reported that some households lacked access to sufficient water; this may be linked to the unaffordability of water trucking and lack of piped water infrastructure. While KIs in 19% of communities reported usage of piped water networks, 50% of communities were reported to utilise water trucking as their most common source of drinking water
The rising prices of food items continued to pose the greatest threat to food security. Food was reported as a priority need for IDPs in 62% of assessed communities, which was higher than any other sector.
[ Sept 2020, Rural Aleppo ]  COVID 19 and the public health measures had limited impact on farming activities in southern rural Aleppo such as increased price of inputs  ( fertilizers and pesticides ) , power cuts and shortage of fuel, seasons of harvest.
In areas outside government control, the northeast region seems particularly at risk.
Low wages seemingly continued to restrict the purchasing power of both resident and IDP populations. Low wages were widely reported as a barrier to meeting basic needs for resident and IDP groups  ( reported in 88% and 90% of communities, respectively ) .
Of the twenty eight collective shelters which have bathing and shower facilities, only 10 collective shelters have gender segregated showers. On average, 61 men have one shower available each, and 64 women have one shower available each. This falls below the emergency standard which is typically 50 people or less per one shower. If looking at these collective shelters individually and by gender, the situation is far worse for women living in these 10 collective shelters. 6 collective shelters have 50 or more women per one shower
The government also postponed the parliamentary elections that were scheduled to take place on April 13, with a new date scheduled for May 20.
[ 30th September 2020, Overall Syria ]  Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that 52 new coronavirus cases were registered in Syria, adding that 15 patients have recovered while 3 others have passed away.
The country's economic collapse, all time high inflation rates, and the prevalence of corruption, clientelism and patronage are likewise jeopardising the emergency response in the GoS controlled areas
With almost 83% of the population below the poverty line, self isolation will prove unworkable for a huge number of Syrians, especially those who rely on informal daily work. It is, moreover, highly unlikely that GoS will introduce policies to reduce the financial burden of selfisolation.
In January alone, almost 1.5 million people fled their homes, and the large majority of those displaced ended up in already overcrowded urban centres in northern Idlib and Aleppo. Recent data indicates that, since January 2020, around 60,000 newly displaced Syrians have been living in open fields, schools and mosques.
In terms of healthcare infrastructure, 62 health facilities were closed over the last two months due to severe damages and security constraints, and many health professionals lost their lives or were forced to flee. As a result, the entire NWS currently only has 166 doctors and 64 health facilities, mostly operating with minimum capacity infrastructure.
Health emergency response plans in NWS are usually implemented by Syrian medical NGOs and the Idlib Health Directorate  ( IHD ) , a quasi state local governance structure established by local doctors and NGOs. Both the medical NGOs and the IHD are chronically under staffed and underfunded
Even though food and agricultural commodities are considered in many countries to be essential and are often exempt from restrictions, supply chains have been slowed and disrupted by transport delays, closed markets and export restrictions. These factors particularly affect farmers producing perishable goods, such as fruit and vegetable growers, resulting in waste of agricultural products, reduced wages and negative repercussions on their ability to prepare for the next cropping season
[ 21 Dec 2020, GoS ]  The Corona pandemic claimed the lives of 3 professors from Aleppo University in 3 different faculties in one day.
[ 1 Oct 2020, NWS ]  In NWS it is estimated that at least one child out of each three children are at risk of losing their future because of chronic malnutrition.
[ 20 Dec 2020, GoS ]  The Public Corporation for Drinking Water in Al Hasakah Governorate began pumping water to Al Hasakah city after a suspension of more than 25 days as a result of the Turkish occupation shutting down the operation of the Alouk water station in the countryside of Ras Al Ain.
[ 5 December, NES, Lockdown ]  F  All citizens and all workers in the Autonomous Administration institutions must wear masks and use other means Personal protection and social distancing in all places and make it a part of their daily life for until the end of the epidemic.
Accessing healthcare was reported as a major challenge for households in NES. Many communities reportedly lacked health facilities and transportation related barriers were a main obstacle for accessing health services in other communities
All schools were closed by local authorities as a COVID 19 mitigation measure during the reporting period. In particular, child labour and early marriage were mentioned among the reasons why some children do not go to school. Due to the deteriorating economic situation in NES, this raises concerns over the possibility of many children continuing to be unable to access education when schools reopen.
Children were particularly exposed to protection risks due to the deteriorating economic situation and school closures. Child labour was a reported protection risk faced by residents and IDPs in more than three quarters of the communities. Indeed, when income sources were not sufficient to meet basic needs, sending children younger than 15 to work or beg was common among residents and IDPs, as indicated by KIs in more than half of the assessed communities.
A total of 2,389 IDPs were reported. 70 percent of these IDPs were reported in Lattakia and Tartous governorates, where individuals had mainly arrived from the same governorates, but also from Aleppo. Economic decision making was by far the most crucial issue dominating displacement in GoS  controlled areas. 86 percent were displaced primarily as a result of a deteriorating economic situation, 76 percent selected 'improved access to livelihoods' as their primary reason for arrival to their current location, and livelihoods was reported as the overall highest priority need
The socio economic impacts of COVID 19, including from mitigation measures such as border closures and movement restrictions which were mainly implemented from March to May, have already affected large segments of the population.
[ 14th oct 2020,Overall Syria ] According to a recent report by OCHA and WHO, there is a funding gap of around USD 11 million until the end of the year to confront the Covid 19 in Kurdish areas
To date, the Syrian Ministry of Health  ( MoH )  has confirmed 58 people with COVID 19 across Syria, including one case in Dar'a, 23 in Damascus, and 34 in Rural Damascus. The most recent case was announced on 17 May. The first positive case was announced on 22 March, with the first fatality reported on 29 March, and subsequent fatalities reported on 30 March and 19 April. Of the three fatalities in Government of Syria  ( GoS )  controlled areas, two were in Damascus and one in Rural Damascus. To date, the MoH has announced 36 recoveries.
Over the last two weeks of May, a total of 42 suspected COVID 19 cases were transported from PHCs to designated COVID 19 referral hospitals through the established referral system.
The COVID 19 outbreak has contributed to an acute shortage of essential supplies, including PPEs, medical equipment  ( such as ventilators )  and certain medicines. Local supply chains have been affected by disruption to cross border commercial activity, while NES partners also face restrictions on procuring items in KRI for export.
In NWS  ( as of 17 May ) , a total of 664 samples were collected, all of which proved negative using PCR. One partner conducted community based COVID 19 testing for healthy people in collaboration with the Gaziantep Health Directorate. In total, 71 people tested negative for COVID 19.
[ 28th September 2020, NW Syria ]  Out of the 4.3 million people living in northwest Syria, “1.4 million are living in camps in crowded situations and the majority are living under the poverty line, so no preventative measures are taking place in the community,
• Nutrition Cluster members provided the following COVID 19 related services; 79,142 mothers and caregivers received information and prevention measures related to COVID 19; 48,888 mothers and caregivers counselled on breastfeeding in context of COVID 19; 20,969 beneficiaries received masks, IEC materials related to COVID 19  ( posters, WhatsApp videos, etc. ) ; 723 staff of members trained on COVID 19 IPC measures; 451 staff of members trained on nutrition programmatic adaptations in context of COVID 19 – Communitybased Management of Acute Malnutrition  ( CMAM ) , IYCF E, Surveillance, etc.; 1,323 staff of members received personal protective equipment  ( PPE )  tools  ( e.g. masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, etc. ) .
[ 28th September 2020, NW Syria ]  Dr. Hamza Alsaied Hasan, quality and development manager for SAMS in northwest Syria, noted the urgent situation in the region he covers. With borders closed between the government controlled area of Syria and Turkey, the northwest was isolated, and confirmed cases in that area did not appear until July.
• Members shared with the Nutrition Cluster some of the challenges being encountered in adjusting their operations in the context of COVID 19 according to the Nutrition Cluster guidance. The main challenges include lack of PPE, lack of infrared forehead digital thermometer to facilitate isolation at facilities, inadequate WASH services, and mobility restrictions
The Coronavirus pandemic has affected most sectors as well as social and cultural habits, and one of those habits is reading; with the extended quarantine and lockdown periods, e books are growing more popular at the expense of their print counterparts.
Ongoing depreciation of the Syrian Pound, along with pre existing macroeconomic vulnerabilities aggravated by the strong ties with the Lebanese economy, and the potential for re escalation of conflict in the northern areas, could result in more households descending into food insecurity or resorting to negative coping strategies.
[ 28th September 2020, NW Syria ]  Dr. Mohammad Al Haj Hamdo, health coordinator in northeast Syria for Syria Relief, a British based NGO, described the situation in Raqqa as “very tense.' He noted the lack of testing machines and poor coordination in testing between the World Health Organization and local authorities.
In Syria, the urban populations most at risk because of the socio economic impact of COVID 19 are those who depend heavily on the informal economy and on employment in the public sector, women headed households and female health workers, those relying on the informal economy, older people who have lost caregivers who immigrated outside the country because of the war, children out of school, and those who have limited capacities and opportunities to cope and adapt with the new situation.
[ December 14, GoS ] The government team also decided, according to what was reported by SANA, to close tourist facilities and restaurants that violate the instructions for anti virus measures and allow the provision of "hookahs" or that do not adhere to the specified occupancy rates for a week the first time, and in the event of repetition, the closure will be 15 days and then for a month. These closures are not subject to financial settlement, and this procedure applies for a period of three months.
The regular and substantial support from the European Union has greatly assisted us in fulfilling our commitments to reaching the most vulnerable children and families in Syria and ensuring continuation of critical services.'
[ December 14, GoS ]  The government team that concerned with the procedures for dealing with the Corona virus, during its meeting today headed by Engineer Hussein Arnous, Prime Minister, decided to impose the wearing of masks for citizens, workers in public institutions, users of public transportation, and those who go to markets and closed shops, bakeries. He instructed governors to take the necessary from the procedures in coordination with the authorities to implement the decision.
Over half  ( 53 percent )  of the older people in Syria did not know where the nearest facility for testing and treatment for COVID 19 was, particularly older people with disabilities  ( 58 percent ) .
Low surveillance capacity and inconsistent application of quarantine and screening procedures compounds these risks, limiting the ability to detect cases early and break up transmission chains.
According to Head of the Syrian Publishers Union Haitham al Hafez, the Coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected the popularity of libraries, bookstores, and print books, which required finding solutions to this problem by delivering books to the reader directly or publishing it online, which is why publishers are now preferring digital publishing of books and novels, putting out books and novels in PDF, audiobook, or even video formats.
[ December 2020, Syria ]  In December, more than a third of surveyed households  ( 36 percent )  indicated having lost at least half of their monthly salary, suggesting a further undermining of livelihoods in Syria. Moreover, according to displacement status, nearly half of returnee households  ( 48 percent )  reported job lay offs in December, compared to 44 percent of IDPs and 45 percent of residents
As a result of the degraded security conditions, the UN has been unable to send any staff or supplies to Shahba. As it stands there is only on NGO active in the area, providing health care through mobile clinics and community health workers.
[ September 2020, Overall Syria ]  COVID 19 also impacted the poultry sector especially when the restrictive measures were imposed back in March 2020 and this increase could be a sign of the ripple effects and impact on the poultry sector.
[ 14th oct 2020,Overall Syria ]  Recent records from the Ministry of Health of the SIG indicate that the official number of people tested positive increased to 1,927 from 1,379 last week, a weekly increase of 40 percent. Of these, 1,024 people have recovered and 20 died
Front line workers said they do not have the necessary protective equipment, training, or protocols to treat complications from Covid 19.
[ September 2020,Overall Syria ] Broken down by governorate, Damascus and Lattakia recorded the highest percent of respondents having lost one or more sources of income due to the pandemic  ( 71 percent ) , with almost one out of four households in both governorates having lost almost entirely their September income, followed by As Sweida  ( 67 percent ) , and Ar Raqqa  ( 68 percent )
Meanwhile, the value of the national currency relative to the dollar, an indicator of demand for dollars and of business sentiment, fell further this week and crossed the 1,300 mark again on April 14. Today it was traded at around 1,310 pounds per dollar.
[ 7th oct 2020 Overall Syria ]  The high risk of undetected transmission is compounded by limited adherence to preventative measures, as well as limited enforcement of these measures, which makes transmission more likely, low case management capacity and continued high levels of transmission amongst HCWs.
[ 20th October NWS ]  One new laboratory is in Jarablus and the other is in Afrin, each with one polymerase chain reaction  ( PCR )  machine to test for COVID19.
[ Dec 2020, al Hol camp ]  While Kurdish officials confirmed in October 2020 that up to 15,000 Syrian women would be moved out of al Hol, camp residents still face overcrowding, rampant tuberculosis, lack of hygiene, and dramatic mortality rates; conditions that have been exacerbated by COVID 19.
[ Dec 2020, Overall Syria ]  Additionally, humanitarian workers in these camps are coping with limited resources due to the UN halting funding for pandemic relief in Northeast Syria.
Students receive pre departure care packages consisting of a hygiene kit and two masks, in addition to an education cash subsidy of SYP 30,000 provided by UNICEF to cover the cost of transportation to their homes. Currently, exams for ninth grade students living in cross line areas are expected to go ahead later this month with planning underway for up to 15,000 arrivals.
Depending on the size of the country and the organization of markets systems, market analysis could be done at national, local or provincial/district level. It could also include the analysis of trans border market exchanges whenever relevant. It is important to join efforts around market analysis and monitoring among the different stakeholders existing in the area. Regarding international and national analysis, there is secondary data available that should be used to inform the type of complementary market analysis needed at country leve
The World Health Organisation  ( WHO )  said on April 14 that it had supplied Syria with five polymerase chain reaction  ( PCR )  machines, which are used to detect the Covid 19 Coronavirus, and multiple shipments of testing kits.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  90% and 95% % of communities where KIs reported daily waged labour as a common source of income for residents and IDPs.
The government did not quarantine any new areas last week and the only two in that situation are the Damascus suburbs of Mnin and Sayyida Zeinab. However, opposition media have reported that there were regular breaches of the quarantine in Sayyida Zeinab by Iranian militias.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  95%and 54% % of communities where KIs reported the insufficient income of households and general lack of employment opportunities as barriers to meeting basic needs
Retaining the value of the aid provided, whether delivered through vouchers or cash, is the most significant concern to the surveyed populations across all genders and age groups. This trumps other concerns or obstacles such as ease of use and additional time or costs necessitated by having to exchange currencies. For this reason, community members and local councils have a strong preference for humanitarian assistance to be delivered in USD rather than in SYP or TRY.
There are growing concerns about the impact of these restrictions on business activity, and there has been increasing pressure from the business community to allow businesses to reopen and function normally again. Already, barely one month after it started imposing these restrictions, the government appears to be giving in to this pressure
[ November 2020, NWS ]  KIs in 70% of communities where barriers to accessing electricity were reported, cited the high cost of fuel for generators as a common challenge
The cabinet this week allowed a whole range of businesses to reopen under the condition that they avoid crowding and use the minimum number of workers required. Also, they must respect the terms of the curfew, which is in place every weekday from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am and from 12 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The sectors where businesses can reopen include car mechanics, the maintenance and sale of agricultural machinery, blacksmiths, carpenters, mobile phone shops and taxis, among others.
Adherence to hygiene practices remains high in GoS  ( 86% )  and SDF  ( 75% )  areas. Yet awareness raising campaigns are not always reaching the communities. Various campaigns were implemented in June, but only 18% of the focal points in GoS areas were aware of them.7 They appear to have been more successful in SDF areas, with 44% of respondents noting awareness campaigns and 33% mentioning disinfection campaigns.8 Thus continued adherence to hygiene practices clearly cannot be directly attributed to awareness or disinfection campaigns alone.
Besides relaxing movement and closure restrictions on some business sectors, several other decisions were taken over the past week to help mitigate the economic impact of the crisis. The Ministry of Finance, for instance, suspended collecting taxes from restaurants and hotels; the tourism sector is among those most affected by the crisis.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  KIs in 85% of communities where barriers to accessing sufficient water were reported, cited the high cost of water trucking as a common challenge
To reduce overcrowding at ATMs, the CBS also instructed that salaries of state employees and of pensioners be paid through the desks of the General Postal Establishment.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  KIs in 84% of communities were barriers to accessing sufficient food were reported, cited the high cost of food as a common challenge
In order to increase the supply of food and medicines in the market and reduce inflationary pressures, the government is seeking to increase the import of these products and limit their export. Over the past couple of weeks, it had eased import requirements and this week it announced that it was reducing paperwork for importers. Also, an export ban is now in place for various goods, including an unlimited ban on the export of some medicines, such as paracetamol and chloroquine, and a one month ban on the export of eggs, cheese and yogurt, canned and packed cereals and beans, chlorine and sodium hypochlorite  ( bleach ) .
In addition, UNICEF report that nutrition activities are ongoing, including group and individual counselling sessions, and nutrition surveillance activities. Education activities has also increased in recent weeks, including with partially opened schools reported across most sub districts where functioning schools existed prior to COVID 19, in light of national exams.
Since August 1, the number of COVID 19 cases has exploded in northeast Syria, jumping from 28 to 556 cases, leaving health workers scrambling to try to contain the growth of the disease.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  KIs in 27% of communities where barriers to education access were reported, cited the high cost of a private tutor as a common challenge.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  96% % of communities where KIs reported that households experienced barriers to accessing sufficient food
[ November 2020, NWS ]  In 27% of these communities, KIs reported that the unavailability of certain food items was a challenge to accessing sufficient food
High price of suitable food or formula was the most commonly reported challenge to feeding young children  ( reported by KIs in 94% of communities )
As of July 19, local health authorities had been able to trace 366 contacts of patients who tested positive, 231 of whom have been tested. No one has died of COVID 19 in Idlib yet. The Northwest, which hosts hundreds of thousands of internally displaced in crowded camps, remains highly vulnerable to a pandemic outbreak.
The hospital only has six ICU beds and three operating rooms, an aid worker involved with the COVID 19 response in the area told Syria Direct. A medical facility was also recently established in the village of Hassajk, which has 26 beds and is specifically equipped to treat COVID 19 patients.
[ October 19, Hama Salamieh, infections among student ]  the medical resource explained that the necessary medical measures have been taken, including isolating the injuries in the isolation department of the Martyr Major General Qais Habib Al Watani Hospital in Salamiyah, and conducting swabs for students in schools where the infections were discovered, and medical examinations that showed students' safety from the virus.
[ November 2020, NWS ]  KIs in 56% of communities reported a lack of employment opportunities for women as a barrier to meeting basic needs
[ 14th January 2021, Syria ]  “UN agencies have to put more pressure on the Syrian Government for more transparent distribution, allowing for monitoring of vaccination,' said al Nahhas, who called onhealthcare providers “to not submit to the pressures the government is putting to limit their ability to access all areas and all citizens in the country.' He added that he was “not optimistic on how the vaccine will be distributed.'
[ 7th oct 2020 Overall Syria ]  Despite an increase in testing in some areas, under testing due to limited testing capacity and, most immediately, low detection capacity, continues to remain a challenge. Low levels of case detection are linked to under reporting due to social stigma, misapplication of the case definition/clinical screening protocols, as well as challenges in activating the rapid response teams  ( RRTs ) .
On April 06, Adel Al Olabi, the Damascus governor, banned access to public parks as well as to funeral and wedding events, although small businesses in some sectors, such as textile, food, printing, metal turning and car maintenance have been allowed to operate between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm. In the Tartous coastal governorate, the corniche areas have been declared off limits.Several similar restrictions have been imposed in areas outside government control. In the Idlib area, the cancellation of Friday prayers was rejected by radical Islamists.
The number of Syrians who have tested positive for the Coronavirus has increased to 19, according to the Ministry of Health. Two have died and two have recovered. All the positive cases were in government held areas. However, given the much higher number of reported cases in neighbouring countries, the limited number of victims both in these areas and those outside government control seems to reflect the small number of tests conducted so far more than it does the limited spread of the virus.
Wedding halls, other public buildings, warehouses, cellars, factories, and shops are also common types of collective shelters. Throughout the assessment, an amusement park, a large vegetable refrigerator, a caravan, a garage, a civil defense building yard, a medical center, an office, and a reception centre are also reported to be types of collective shelters
In NES, following the announcement of four new cases, local authorities reinstated a partial curfew. This includes the banning of all mass gatherings, including weddings and funerals, and restaurants to be only allowed for take away. Authorities also emphasized the importance of personal preventive measures, such as physical distancing.
[ January 2021, Ar Raqqa Governorate ]   [ Mahmoudli Camp Overview: No. of Individual: 10,277 ]  In COVID 19 response infrastructure, there is availability of both isolation area and handwashing facilities. Of the 63% of households, in Mahmoudli Camp, reported experiencing difficulties in obtaining hand/body soap; the following issues were reported most frequently: • 45 % said soap is too expensive • 20% said soap is distributed infrequently
[ November 21, NES, lockdown ]  Based on the crisis cell meeting in the Executive Council of North and East Syria Based on the requirements of the public interest Co presidency of the Executive Council of North and East Syria It was decided that: 1  A complete lockdown is imposed in the following regions  ( Hasaka   Qamishlo   Tabqa Al Raqqa )  for a period of ten days, starting from On Thursday morning at 26/11/2020 until 5/12/2020.
[ September 2020, Overall Syria ]  To prevent further reduction in national food production and particularly shortages of bread due to the protracted socioeconomic challenges, further exacerbated by COVID 19, support to small scale farmers in wheat production combined with grain legumes is fundamental. This should be done through provision of improved inputs such as wheat and legume seeds to address the limited access to seed, coupled with training on good agricultural practices.
The Ministry of Health  ( MoH )  said that 694 people have tested positive since the beginning of testing in the country, up from 540 last week, a weekly increase of 29 percent. Of these, some 104 were Syrians returning home, while 44 cases were healthcare workers. People who tested positive reside in the following governorates: 397 in Damascus, 152 in Damascus Countryside, 37 in Quneitra, 30 in Aleppo, 29 in Lattakia, 16 in Suweida, 12 in Homs, ten in Hama, ten in Daraa, and one in Tartous.
The secondary effects of the global pandemic beyond the health impact are wide ranging and affect a large number of countries worldwide. While the evolution of COVID 19 and containment measures remain dynamic and unpredictable, and the medium and longer term impacts of the crisis are yet to be fully understood, it is already clear that low and middle income countries will be disproportionately affected.
Overall, KIs in a higher proportion of communities reported that IDPs were living in either damaged or abandoned/unfinished buildings compared to residents, indicating a possible gap in living conditions between IDPs and residents. This month, KIs in 92% of communities reported that households wishing to make repairs could not afford to purchase materials.
Shelter findings emphasized insufficiencies in the physical quality of housing, and KIs in 371  ( 44% )  of 843 assessed communities reported shelter as a priority need. For both residents and IDPs, lack of lighting was indicated by KIs as the most common inadequacy issue. The presence of occupied shelters with major damage was confirmed in 60% of assessed communities.
On average, those living in designed temporary shelters, amusement parks, offices, factories and schools have the most space per person, while religious buildings, medical centers, civil defense building properties, and cellars are on average found to be below the emergency standard of 3.5m2 per person
Data on the number of people still in isolation centres has not been updated and remains at 2,546 people out of 16,015 who have been isolated since the beginning of the pandemic.
The cost of the SMEB food component in Deirez Zor increased by 36% from May to June, reaching a median of 154,563 SYP. The price of rice, for example, has increased by 80% since May 2020. Moreover, the cost of the SMEB hygiene component for Deir ez Zor governorate increased by 64%, reaching a median of 21,474 SYP. Supply challenges combined with the collapsing currency may be contributing factors to the sharp increase in food and hygiene prices in markets in Deir ez Zor.
These measures are separate from the government's effort to repatriate Syrians stuck abroad. On July 27, a Syrianair plane coming from Al Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates landed atthe Damascus International Airport with 261 passengers onboard.
Just over 12,100 tests have been conducted so far across the country , in six operational laboratories and one testing site.
Not everyone was reportedly aware of COVID 19 in 80% of settlements. KIs reported that in the majority of assessed settlements in Deir ez Zor  ( 72% ) , only around 25% of IDPs considered COVID 19 important. In 43% of assessed settlements, half or fewer of the IDPs had reportedly received information about COVID 19.
Consultations with reproductive health actors reveal that mothers' access to antenatal care  ( ANC )  and post natal care  ( PNC )  has declined, with more than 50 percent of mothers not utilizing ANC/PNC services. Chronic malnutrition is rapidly increasing, with rates at 29% compared to 19% last year at the same time
One of the emerging COVID 19 clusters in AA controlled territory is in the Shahba area, in Aleppo province. The area is geographically separated from the rest of the political authority by Afrin, which has been under the control of Turkish backed opposition fighters since 2018. At the time of publishing, Shahba had 44 confirmed cases, though a member of the Kurdish Red Crescent  ( KRC )  who works in the area told Syria Direct that they expect the true number of cases to be much higher.
Shahba has a population of 150,000 people, most of whom are Internally Displaced People  ( IDPs )  who fled Afrin following Turkey's Operation Olive Branch. The area is serviced by just one hospital and suffers from shortages in PPE and diagnostic equipment, according to the KRC member.
International remittances to the region are expected to decline sharply by 19.3 percent  ( WB 2020 ) . Supply chain disruptions, gaps in food availability and some increases in food prices are also hampering access to food and severely affecting food systems and food security.
8 collective shelters fall below the emergency standard of 15 litres of potable water available per person per day  ( 4 of which are in Afrin ) .
[ 7th oct 2020 Overall Syria ] While current official numbers remain relatively low, it is clear the epidemiological situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve and all factors – including that more than 92 per cent of announced cases to date have not been linked to exposure/contact with a known case – point to widespread community transmission. Since July, official numbers have risen sharply; including a peak of over 1,600 confirmed cases  ( around half the current total )  in August.
In the northeast, the Autonomous Administration in the East and North Syria  ( AANES )  said on July 27 that the number of positive cases increased to eight from six. The two new cases were two women living in Hassakeh and Al Malikiyah  ( Dayrik ) .
[ 7th oct 2020 Overall Syria ]  In GoS controlled areas of the country, 4,457 laboratory confirmed cases have been reported by the Syrian MoH as of 6 October: seven in Ar Raqqa; 13 in Deir Ez Zor; 35 in Al Hasakeh; 81 in Quneitra; 100 in Dar'a; 131 in Tartous; 144 in Hama; 154 in As Sweida; 396 in Homs; 424 in Rural Damascus; 431 in Lattakia; 1,077 in Aleppo; and 1,464 in Damascus. More than 500 new cases have been announced since the last report.
[ 7th oct 2020 Overall Syria ] In NES  ( as of 30 September ) , there continues to be significant transmission among health workers, indicating both the high risk to health workers, as well as poor adherence to basic preventative measures. Against the backdrop of acute shortages in health staff in NES, and with the rate of transmission in NES likely to continue to rise in the coming weeks and months, there are concerns that the health system could collapse if more health workers become infected.
• Since December 2019, GBV SC members distributed 152,537 dignity kits. Based on beneficiaries' feedback, those kits where critical in responding to their increased need for personal hygiene products in time of COVID 19
( September23, NWS )  COVID 19: +3000 cases and 178 deaths in the Syrian Arab Republic. More than 600 cases and 6 deaths now recorded in NWS.
( September23, NWS )  Of 4.3 million people in need  ( 1 million more than in 2019 ) , 3.7 million are food insecure and 615,000 are at risk of food insecurity and in need of livelihoods support
The MoH said that as of July 24, 12,416 tests had been performed in laboratories in the governorates of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Lattakia, the only cities that have laboratories equipped with PCR tests. The number of tested people is extremely small relative to the size of the population and is a main reason behind the relatively small number of people who have been tested positive.
Meanwhile, data issued by the Ministry of Health indicates only a very small increase in the number of infected people to 45 from 43 last week, while the number of deaths remained unchanged at three and those healed increased to 27 from 19 a week ago. On May 05, 1,140 people were still in quarantine out of 3,773 who were quarantined since the virus was first reported in the country
[ Jan, 2021, Overall Syria ]  The deterioration seen is primarily the result of protracted conflict and mass population displacement that has eroded livelihoods and resilience, compounded by a devastating economic crisis since 2019.
The indirect effects of COVID 19, and the actions taken in response, can contribute to increasing tensions and violence, and also affect the capacities and behaviour of local, national or international actors, which in turn may alter existing conflict and peace dynamics. Under certain conditions, COVID 19 may exacerbate existing drivers of conflict and undermine social and economic resilience. Conflict and violence are amongst the main drivers of food insecurity globally.
Movement restrictions and border closures continue to affect transhumance and disrupt access to natural resources. Where disputes, tensions and conflicts have previously existed, their frequency and intensity will potentially increase, especially if movement restrictions remain in place for extended periods
4 Aug 2020: The United Nations expressed concern on Tuesday for the safety and protection of more than four million civilians in north western Syria, which has been hit with aerial bombardments over the past few days.
There are only 16 collective shelters where water is tested or treated with chlorine prior to being delivered to the collective shelter, leaving 9,597 IDPs potentially exposed to contaminated water.
Speaking at a virtual press briefing, Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists that in the wake of reports of air attacks and shelling over the past few days, 2.7 million people have been internally displaced. “Yesterday', he said, “local sources reported airstrikes impacting three communities in Idlib governorate as well as one community in northern Latakia governorate'. As a result of the air raids, three people were reportedly killed and seven injured in Bennsh, in Idlib governorate.
Since March 2011, the country has been in the throes of a conflict that has forced more than half of all Syrians to leave their homes. With 5.6 million Syrian refugees, 6.6 million internally displaced and more than 12 million people in need of assistance, the crisis has caused untold suffering for Syrian women, children and men.
However, Khalil warned that it would be difficult for this response plan to be completely effective without the full support of international donor agencies. This is because of the deteriorating capacity of health facilities; a lack of well trained nurses and ICU technicians; decreasing donor funding; disruptions to water and electricity networks; the continuous movement of IDPs; and the inability of many people to cope with the economic pressure resulting from self isolation and the suspension of economic activities.
Most restrictions on travel and stay at home measures have remained in place, including travel between provinces and between city centres and their suburbs. On April 11, the cabinet extended the closure of schools and universities to May 02, while several government departments extended their closure to that same date.
[ November 3 2020,NorthEast Syria ]  These challenges are compounded by the reluctance of people to move to the designated camp level isolation areas if they are considered suspect, underreporting of symptoms and lack of adherence to basic preventative measures  ( including use of face masks ) .
As jobs are lost, the flow of remittances slows down and food systems come under stress or are disrupted, the number of people facing acute food insecurity – the most extreme form of hunger – is going to increase. At the same time, should COVID 19 persist, and unless acute hunger is rapidly addressed and prevented, the world may also see a further rise in chronic hunger, with long term consequences for hundreds of millions of children and adults. Prior to COVID 19, this trend of increasing chronic hunger had already been confirmed in many of the hotspot countries by the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World Report  ( SOFI 2020 ) .
The Syrian Interim Government has handed over 10,000 masks and a large amount of disinfectants to the administration of Bab al Salama camp. In addition, recommendations were made to the camp administration on the need to isolate infected people and those who mingled with them.
According to Observatory statistics, the number of confirmed cases, since July 9 to date, rise to 80, including two doctors were residing in Turkey.
Similarly, the approximately 100,000 Syrians locked away in government prisons and detention centers are particularly vulnerable to the virus
The cases are broken down by region as follows: 22 cases, including medical staff in HTS held areas in Idlib, parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, and 26 cases in areas held by Turkish backed factions, north of Aleppo.
This joint FAO WFP analysis highlights countries that are at risk of significant food security deterioration, and in particular acute hunger and associated malnutrition. The analysis takes into account all major drivers of food insecurity, with a particular focus on the secondary impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic. It provides a forward looking perspective, outlining the likely evolution of impacts over a period of approximately six months, aiming to inform urgent action to safeguard the food security of the most vulnerable communities in these locations.
Pathway 1: Impacts on food access through reduced household purchasing power: The loss in purchasing power due to falling incomes, lost remittances and, in some contexts, higher food prices will disproportionately affect the ability of the urban poor and other market dependent groups to access food.
Since the last report, authorities in Northeast Syria  ( NES )  have announced a further 323 cases bringing the total in NES to 557  ( 460 in Al Hasakeh, 62 in Aleppo, 32 in Ar Raqqa, and 21 in Deir ez Zor ) . Of these, 34 fatalities have been reported, with 88 recoveries. Healthcare workers have also been affected, with 92 reported cases.