The Camps in the North and Coronavirus: Stay at Home
Date: 
March 23 2020

“For the sake of the Camp and the people of the Camp, stay at home”; “Stay in your small home for the sake of your big home – Palestine.” These are two slogans out of many printed on posters and plastered on walls or distributed to social media groups in the camp. All signify the danger knocking at the camp’s doors. It may be an exaggeration to ask for a rapid response but the general feeling is that the healthcare system is weak, and this weakness may lead to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

This sense appears in the two refugee camps in North Lebanon (Nahr al-Bared and al-Badawi), especially Nahr al-Bared camp, which is the larger camp but has no hospital. The camp has a higher risk of contracting the virus due to the following factors:

- The UNRWA healthcare system crisis, in addition to the fact that the camp is located far away from the Palestinian Red Crescent hospital and from Lebanese hospitals. The Red Crescent has a clinic that does not perform hospital functions, while other healthcare organizations have clinics and provide some emergency and first aid services. The closest Red Crescent hospital is located in al-Badawi camp.

- Members of the camp are exempt from health policies issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The Ministry treats Palestinian refugees as individuals living outside of its areas of service.

To address the aforementioned factors, organizations working in the healthcare sector in Nahr al-Bared camp have collaborated to form a “crisis taskforce” in order to implement preventative measures against the spread of the coronavirus. These organizations include the healthcare committee affiliated to the People’s Committee, the Palestinian Red Crescent, UNRWA, and healthcare clinics.

The Palestinian Civil Defense organization was the first to take initiatives to implement precautionary measures. This was possible with the help of tens of young volunteers equipped with a few tools that allow them to perform tasks related to sanitization, first aid, and firefighting in the camp.

The head of the Nahr al-Bared regiment in the Palestinian Civil Defense organization, Muhammad Bhar, has explained the practical measures taken by the organization to fight the coronavirus.“Continuous sanitization of shops, streets, and checks of all those entering the camp are underway on a daily basis from eight in the morning,” Bhar said. “That is other than daily instructional campaigns to raise awareness, inform people about precautions to take, and risks [from the virus].”

In addition to the practical measures taken by the “crisis taskforce”, most entryways to the camp have been closed, while only two have remained open. Jamal Abu Ali, a member of the People’s Committee said: “There are nurses checking all those coming into the camp, and [there are] members who are sanitizing cars; we also set up checkpoints for the Palestinian Red Crescent.”

“We made it mandatory for those living in the camp not to leave their homes, as the people’s health is of utmost importance.” He added.

Many organizations of Palestinian civil cociety have carried out awareness campaigns inside the camp. Despite lack of resources, volunteers have provided brotherly assistance to their neighbors. Muhammad Bhar said that based on the request of a mayor of a nearby Lebanese village “we went out to help families in Akkar and we sanitized the office of the mayor as well”.

The camp, which has always considered itself the exception, is living what the whole world is living: wandering is limited, the streets are almost vacant, they are no longer crowded as usual, and a limited number of children play in some alleyways, a few wearing masks.

Self-quarantines have pushed people to cancel mass gatherings including Friday prayer at some mosques. Additionally, funerals have been limited to burials only, while condolences are accepted at the cemetery without the shaking of hands. Coffee shops have closed, and public gatherings and cultural and political activities that were planned for Land Day have been cancelled indefinitely.

Schools, kindergartens, and educational institutions have stopped their programs, while some instituted limited work hours. All athletic activities have been cancelled, and some sports clubs have shifted to providing volunteer work to clinics and healthcare organizations.

An unprecedented climate of silence reigns. Construction to rebuild the remaining part of the camp, which was destroyed in 2007, has stopped.

As for al-Badawi camp, there is a constant effort to control sanitation in the camp, and to instigate awareness campaigns that explain the severity of the situation and the importance of staying at home.

The manager of the Al-Shifa’ hospital in al-Badawi camp, Ahmad Kaddoura, said: “We are working on distributing masks and gloves to the people in the camp, we are also working on securing pumps for the sanitization campaign and we are in contact with other organizations for assistance.”

The head of the “crisis taskforce” there, Naser Soueidan, has spoken about plans in place to fight the coronavirus. Mass gatherings have been banned as a precaution and “security coordination with the Lebanese security forces is underway to collaborate with us in providing sanitization processes at camp checkpoints … but capabilities remain small.”

Members of the healthcare committee of the People’s Committee at the camp and the regiment of the civil defense organization agree that fighting the virus requires outside help or donations. There are needs for equipment, tools, and products to fulfill people’s needs.

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