UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock called on the Security Council to renew the authorization for cross-border operations into northwest Syria and stressed that any delay in this decision would “increase suffering and cost lives.” Briefing the Security Council in a virtual meeting today (19 May) on the humanitarian situation in Syria, Lowcock said the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was seen before infections peaked. He said, “The average price of the national reference food basket for April is 15 per cent higher than the March average, and more than double the average recorded in April 2019. It is now higher than at any time since the crisis began.” To date, the Syrian Government had confirm 58 cases of COVID-19 in areas under its control resulting in three fatalities, while another six cases have been reported in Syria’s northeast, including one fatality; and none were reported in the northwest. Lowcock said building up the limited laboratory and case investigation capacities across the country remains a major priority. He said some 23 million USD have already been allocated from the Syria Humanitarian Fund to support COVID-19 preventative measures, but noted that significant shortages of personal protective equipment and other medical items across the country remained. The humanitarian chief said, even before COVID-19, an estimated 80 per cent of Syrian already lived below the poverty line in early 2020. He said, “The added impact of the pandemic is now driving food insecurity to record levels: The World Food Programme announced last week
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