Date of the letter: 10 April 2020

Dear Syrian women and men, in and outside Syria.

We wish you all are safe and healthy, and we hope that you are fulfilling your social responsibility in adhering to measures to protect yourself and prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

In this letter, we want to extend our praise to the Syrians women and men on:

  • Their will power for taking preventive measures which also indicates their sense of responsibility towards themselves and others around them.
  • The solidarity that many Syrians have shown with each other, despite their difficult collective economic conditions.
  • The positivity and bravery with which Syrians continue to face the epidemic, which is something that Syrians have long sustained in the face of great calamities.
  • The readiness with which they have implemented social distancing and restricted movement between regions to help prevent direct contact among the population and reduce the spread of the Coronavirus
  • Their expedience in equipping quarantine centers and private hospitals to help treat potential Coronavirus patients.
  • The vigorous and distinctive mobility of Syrian civil society organizations, women’s organizations, NGOs, and volunteer teams working on the ground to raise awareness of reducing the spread of the epidemic – this reflects their commitment to social responsibility towards Syrians.
  • The willingness and preparation of the medical personnel involved to respond to the epidemic.

On the international and regional levels, we commend the efforts of the United Nations in stabilizing geopolitics in the region and urging for a ceasefire, and the repeated calls for efforts by all to confront the epidemic. We also applaud the efforts of neighboring countries in assisting the refugees residing there. We admire the efforts of the World Health Organization and other organizations they work with to find a vaccine and treatment for the virus. The World Health Organization has indicated that there are vaccines in preliminary clinical trial, and there are 42 vaccines in the pre-primary experiments stage. As for the treatment under trial as well as 30 to 40 clinical studies being conducted. This suggests that the financial support provided for the tests and experiments would shorten the years of work that any other vaccine test usually takes, and that there could be a vaccine available during the next one or a year and a half.
On the other hand, we find that countries have begun to contain the spread of the epidemic through various isolation measures. Therefore, even if a vaccine is not discovered soon, we could return to normalcy once the virus spread has reached its peak stage and people keep maintaining personal protection measures and social distancing.
We at CCSD are working day and night, to the best of our abilities to contribute towards  reducing the spread of the epidemic in all Syrian regions. To this effect, we have written to the UN Security Council to discuss efforts to address the spread of the virus in the world in its first meeting. We also called on them to work to install a ceasefire, and push for the intensification of medical aid and supplies that support the response to the epidemic
We also monitored the possibility of a pandemic, as well as the precautionary measures followed weekly in all Syrian regions. We support and work on eight initiatives in and outside Syria to raise awareness among Syrians about the importance of precautionary measures and increase protection. Our physical activities remain suspended, but we continue to be focused and efficient in in our efforts to contain the epidemic through the internet.
To be responsible citizens, we adhere to personal protection measures and to voluntary home quarantine as closely as possible, in order to preserve our safety and that of our people, loved ones, and neighbors, until this critical stage is overcome. We call for an increase in the level of social solidarity among us. We understand and empathize with the difficult period we are going through, but let us be certain the role we play will help save the lives of our loved ones.
We hope that that this pandemic will pass through with the least damage done to the Syrian women and men, and that it will be an opportunity to assume social responsibility and to express solidarity with other Syrian men and women.
Accept our full wishes for your health. We are hopeful that we will overcome this ordeal the whole world is going through.
Also, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or recommendations for us, or if you have any initiatives that you would like to share with us in the framework of facing the virus on the email address that we have designated for this purpose:  COVID-19@ccsd.ngo


Finally, it is very important to review the WHO website in the Arabic language, especially its content on preventive and safety measures, and to follow any new developments regarding the epidemic:
https://www.who.int/ar/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/q-a-coronaviruses

To download the CCSD’s fifth letter to Syrian Women and Men at the time of Coronavirus, please click here

Copyright © 2020 CCSD.