Health Ministry: Tests of Syrian passenger who arrived from Iraq are negative

Damascus, SANA – The Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the results of the tests conducted on a Syrian passenger who had arrived on a plane from Iraq and who was suspected of being infected with Coronavirus (COVID-19) came back negative, proving he is not infected. The Ministry had announced on Saturday that all the passengers and crews of a plane arriving from Iraq were sent to a quarantine center due to suspicion of Coronavirus infection. Director of Public Health Labs at the Ministry Dr. Shebl Khoury told SANA that the special lab for testing for Coronavirus has conducted 72 tests of samples from suspected patients, all of which came back negative, meaning there are no confirmed cases so far. For his part, head of the Communicable and Chronic Diseases Department at the Ministry, Dr. Hazar Faroun, said in a statement that the Ministry set up a medical center in al-Dwair area in Damascus Countryside, equipped with 100 beds divided into 2 parts; the first one is for quarantining suspected cases of Coronavirus, and the second one is for taking care of any confirmed cases which would be diagnosed. Faroun underlined the necessity of citizens being cautious and avoiding gatherings and children’s playgrounds, in addition to committing to proper hygiene rules.