A health worker from Qamishlo – who urgently requested to stay anonymous – reported that the leadership of SDF in North-East Syria has switched the management of the Corona Virus Emergency Committee to the classic (most strict) security leadership of HAT (Security SWAT) instead of the civil and medical affairs, after the situation worsened quickly in the last few days.
The SDF leadership is still hiding the accurate information on the COVIDー۱۹ cases, claiming there are no patients with COVID-19 seen until yet, out fear that this might affect the relationship with the coalition forces. Despite dozens of cases related to the COVID-19 virus, and supposedly many deaths due to the virus.
The source says that all of the corona-related death cases are reported as “death from pneumonia”, and all of the medical staff have been expelled from the emergency coordination rooms set up to contain the crisis. The medical staff has been replaced with security commanders, cadres of YPG/PKK, which have issued an order to forcibly apply quarantine, even when shooting is required.
Also a quarantine center has been established in Qamishlo, and a large part of the civil budget was cut to be used to deal with the Coronavirus crisis, and an urgent request with pressures was issued to the Americans to send medical supplies as soon as possible.
COVID-19 crisis in North-East Syria leads to military take-over
