The Covid-19 Situation in Syria
Tamara Stangl, Michael Zinkanell: The Covid-19 Situation in Syria: Impacts, Scenarios, and Responses, AIES Fokus 5/2020
28.05.2020
In the face of the global health crisis, it seems as if Syria has been spared from the Covid-19 virus so far. A wide-spread outbreak has not occurred yet, however, if the pandemic hits many lives are at risk. For those who thought that the continuous Syrian civil war, now entering its 10th year, could not be more precarious, the appearance of the global pandemic shows that it is not a question whether, if Covid-19 will strike Syria, but when it will happen.
If a war-torn healthcare system cannot provide everyday medical care, how should it be prepared for a global pandemic? The past months have starkly demonstrated how even the world’s best health systems can stagger under the weight of Covid-19. The paper delivers an overview of the effects the virus outbreak might have on Syria, its repercussions on the future, and possible European responses.