Aleppo - A country destroyed by war in lockdown mode, people without income and discontinued aid: With these drastic words the Refugee Service of the Jesuits in Syria (JRS) has described the current challenges in the civil war country. The Corona pandemic hit the country particularly hard in this situation, said the Jesuit and JRS country director Goncalo C. Fonseca in a statement. Since the middle of March Syria has been in a so-called "lockdown": schools and universities are closed, meetings in churches and mosques are forbidden, shops had to close and even buses no longer run. In the course of the measures, which will remain in force until 3 May, food prices have risen, bread is scarce and hygiene products such as soap are hardly available, the JRS reported.

In order to support especially families in the Corona crisis, the Refugee Service started to distribute hygiene packages and food already at the beginning of the crisis. According to JRS, almost 700 families in the cities of Jeramana and Aleppo alone were supported, among other things with antibacterial hand soaps.

Because of the initial restrictions, there are currently hardly any job opportunities. Parents who work as craftsmen cannot earn money, Fonseca explained the social and economic consequences of the state's corona measures. Currently, families are also being accompanied by telephone, for example by the JRS community centres.

In the beginning, there was a kind of "standstill". So also the facilities of the Jesuits had to be closed and activities in the learning and community rooms of the JRS had to be stopped. Meanwhile among other things the health centre in Aleppo could be opened again, reported the director of the JRS country office in Syria. In addition, the JRS is preparing a plan for the time after the COVID 19 lockdown in cooperation with a regional team and donors. Among other things, a learning folder for children is planned to enable them to learn despite closed schools.