Middle East countries prepare drastic measures against coronavirus

The countries faced several hurdles. Some are poor or in conflict, some are divided and some lack tests, but the Gulf was better prepared than others.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
A medical staff member in protective gear checks the temperature of a cleric man amid concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, at Najaf airport in the holy city of Najaf upon his arrival from Iran, Iraq March 15, 2020. (photo credit: REUTERS/ALAA AL-MARJANI)
A medical staff member in protective gear checks the temperature of a cleric man amid concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19) spread, at Najaf airport in the holy city of Najaf upon his arrival from Iran, Iraq March 15, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS/ALAA AL-MARJANI)
Middle Eastern countries have been preparing to use all means necessary to stop the spread of coronavirus. Since the pandemic first arrived in Iran in mid-February, many countries in the region have looked on with growing fear as their local cases increase.
The countries in the region face several hurdles. Some of them are either poor or recovering from conflict, such as Iraq and Syria, and some remain divided, such as Libya and Yemen, making it difficult to have national coronavirus policies. Many lack means to test for the virus.
Some of the most serious measures have been taken in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states. Jordan in recent days put in place one of the strictest curfews in the world, sending the army to enforce stoppages and ordering pharmacies to deliver rather than let people come to the counter.
Jordan is considering various means of providing food to the needy, including distributing some 100,000 food parcels. In a country with almost a million Syrian refugees, as well as those from Iraq and elsewhere, it is difficult to see how the population can stay at home for weeks without a crisis.
The Gulf was better prepared for the crises. Most Gulf states have sealed their borders and cut down on air traffic. Their main concern is the spread of the virus among their large foreign-worker populations. They have better healthcare systems than other countries in the region, but their cases have almost doubled in the last week.
Saudi Arabia, despite acting early to prevent pilgrimages, now has 500 cases. Tiny Qatar and Bahrain have almost 500 cases and 330 cases, respectively. The UAE, Kuwait and Oman may have done better, with only a few hundred cases among them, but they are worried. Kuwait has suspended all sports activity, and the emir gave a speech on Sunday praising the country’s steadfastness.
Of greater concern is what is happening in Libya, Yemen and parts of Iraq and Syria where there may not be testing. The Syrian regime’s SANA said the first case had been found on Sunday, but there may be other cases in areas outside its control. That includes eastern Syria, where people are angry that the international community has not helped them with testing kits, and in northern Syria, which is controlled by Turkey.
In Yemen there appears to be very little the international community can do. The country is in the midst of a civil war in which rival parts are supported by Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran has already shown itself negligent at testing for the virus.
Lebanon has a financial crisis on its hands. It is trying to prevent the spread of the virus after having also enabled Iranian flights to Beirut and not checking Hezbollah members who may be spreading it due to their connections to Iran. Lebanon wants to take the virus more seriously and is worried it may have acted too late.
Iraq also has a financial crisis and lacks a new prime minister. The Kurdistan region has largely locked itself down and cut itself off from the rest of Iraq, hoping to prevent the virus from spreading. But the extreme measures in the Kurdish provinces have not stopped the virus entirely, showing that even extreme measures don’t prevent all infections.
Turkey is also on the front line after weeks of claiming it was virus-free. Today there are more than 1,200 cases, and it is considering harsher curfews to stop the pandemic. However, it is unclear if the measures will have the desired effect.
In Egypt a growing, young and poor population is susceptible to the virus. It is unclear if the government can test all those who need tests. Two generals in the army reportedly died from the virus in recent days, raising concerns that the problem is more widespread than officially reported.
Egypt says it has just over 300 cases in a country of almost 100 million. Its problem is that it has an insurgency in Sinai and a porous border with Libya. It is unclear if it is even possible to test and monitor all those in rural areas for the virus in such a large and complex country.