Refugee, 2 Jordanian Employees Infected with COVID-19 at Zaatari Camp

Arab World

September 10th, 5:33pm

Asharq Al-Awsat

Syrian refugees play at the Zaatari refugee camp in the Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria, December 7, 2014. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

The UN refugee agency said Thursday it has detected the first coronavirus case inside the largest Syrian refugee camp, which is home to some 80,000 people. UNHCR said a refugee and two Jordanian employees working in Jordan’s sprawling Zaatari camp have tested positive for the COVID-19 disease. On Tuesday, the agency reported two cases in the Azraq camp, home to some 40,000 Syrian refugees. The refugees who have tested positive have been relocated to isolation centers on the Dead Sea and their contacts are being isolated and tested. Jordan is home to more than 650,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom live outside the camps. An outbreak in one of the world’s many refugee camps could escalate quickly, as people often live in close quarters with poor access to sanitation and health care.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2500361/refugee-2-jordanian-employees-infected-covid-19-zaatari-camp