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THREAD Since March, the Syrian government has reacted to the covid epidemic primarily through measures designed to hide the problem from view. The result is that—as Syria now buzzes with stories of a growing outbreak—the country is less prepared than ever
Mirroring other governments, Damascus’ first move was to restrict traffic into and around the country. The lockdown was both implemented inconsistently and tremendously costly, halting the already strained flow of dollars from neighboring Lebanon
This helped fuel Syria’s currency collapse and deepening economic crisis. The latter, caused by a mix of factors including mismanagement and sanctions, triggered acute medicine shortages that have degraded Syria’s already limited capacity to respond
When Syrians did trickle into the country (or checked into hospitals having developed covid symptoms), they were forced into quarantine centers so dirty and overcrowded that Syrians quickly began comparing them to detention facilities
In the meantime, the regime launched a campaign of intimidation to prevent both patients and doctors from circulating information about the disease’s spread. Hospitals came under the purview of security officers, rather than healthcare professionals
So aggressive was the government’s response that some health workers found themselves debating whether or not to report potential cases—fearing that, in doing so, they might condemn their patients to a fate worse than covid
Repression—combined with minimal preparations to face an outbreak— has shrouded public health discussions in an aura of anxiety and confusion. Ordinary Syrians are left guessing at what measures to take. Those with symptoms fear disclosing them
Syrians now worry that the disease is spreading, but have little more than anecdotes to go by: Families conduct funeral rites without a corpse, and some hospitals are reportedly so crowded that only well-connected patients gain admission
While the government fails to take responsibility, others haven’t helped. The UN, which arguably was best placed to shore up the country’s defenses, has instead allowed itself to be bullied by the regime into familiar patterns of politicization and complacency
In Idlib and the northeast, opposition-led governance bodies made a dire situation worse by announcing their own porous lockdowns with neighboring territories, which did little more than demonize any and all Syrians seeking to come in
Inside and outside Syria, opposition political structures seized on the crisis as a chance to score petty points against the regime, going so far as vilifying the doctors seeking to stave off a crisis in regime territory
Indeed, virtually all parties have responded in ways that dehumanize ordinary Syrians. Even earnest media coverage has often caricatured Syria as an indigent nation lacking the awareness and soap needed for people to wash their hands
While expanding poverty is part of the problem, such narratives misdirect responsibility: Syria’s covid problem is not with poor communities or refugee camps, but rather with nihilistic power structures mimicking an incoherent global response
Meanwhile, ordinary Syrians are striving to fill that gap. Communities have ramped up all manner of charitable work in response to both the health crisis and economic debacle. Some take to public platforms to denounce the practice of shaming the sick
Syrian healthcare personnel have continued to show up for work despite collapsing salaries, abysmal work conditions, oppression by their own government, and multiplying anecdotes of doctors dying from the disease they are fighting
These dynamics are not unique to Syria. They are an extreme version of trends seen in many places around the globe: A state that has not just failed but made things worse, handing down both the costs and the blame to a society left to fend for itself
