Corona Airlines suspended from landing on Syrian ground
Edgy out there, isn’t it? We’ve taken a step back from each other, emptied our diaries and become gloomy. The darker forces of nature appear to have got the upper hand for now. Fear is spreading even faster than the virus. However, here in Syria nothing seems to have changed on the individual stage despite all the precautions taken by the government to control the spreading of corona virus. Paradoxically, Syrian now feel more safe than ever, even International human organizations that have described Syrian territories as being the most dangerous for the last decade are now admitting that it has become the savviest place on the planet.
Syria Times has interviewed a number of citizens, their point of views varied from highly unconcerned to hyper horrified. “Nothing can be worse than what we went through, not even corona!!” a man selling vegetables on the roadside. Whereas Amal Abou saa’d, a Syrian novelist declared “People in the streets of Damascus share life to defeat death. They forget that a terrifying death lurks in a country not far away, and ignore the breaking news counting corona fatalities every hour. We as Syrians have taken preventive doses against pain, maybe we did not reach Corona anti-virus, maybe we did not build a hospital within fifteen years, not fifteen days; but we took all of our doses from pain, all probable doses.” Yet, “Corona was able to spread secularism a thousand times more than all philosophers.” Basem Suliman, a Syrian thinker and author claimed.
Others response to fear was quiet sarcastic, tens of jokes have spread out lately to keep up with the latest developments of Corona virus. “Go out; enjoy blossoming spring since the streets are empty.” the devil’s message. Psychotherapists explain that people in times of great fear and threats resort to sarcasm as a defensive mechanism to confront fear.
On the other hand, supporters of conspiracy theory claimed that for the whole world to agree on one thing is quiet odd as it is disturbing and leaves us with a feeling of ambiguity around the whole issue. Ambiguity might be the only feeling shared by all parties, those who publicly deny and those who are horrified, those who take it as a big joke and those who are very serious about it.
The American Foreign Affairs Magazine published an article in which it talks about the geopolitical effects of the Corona epidemic, and compared this crisis to the tripartite aggression against Egypt that led to the retreat of Britain’s leadership in the international system, and considered that the COVID crisis revealed the possibility of China leading the international system at the expense of the United States of America, due to Its victory in its war against the virus, by means of collective quarries, travel stoppages, the successful management and visit of the Chinese leader to the Johann region, as well as the participation of China to experience its success with other countries of the world through aid and video conferences held with other countries.
Yet many Syrians adhere to public safety instructions, staying at home with their beloved ones. I hope you a nice journey at the corona airlines, stay safe and don’t forget to wash your hands after reading this article.
Interview: Lama Alhassanieh