It’s no longer possible to enter Mar Elias Camp without having your temperature taken and the goods you’re carrying sterilized. In the time of Corona, there isn’t a single house that hasn’t acquired the necessary disinfectants.
A lockdown was not imposed on the camp by force. Instead, it transpired as a result of an appeal to the residents on March 13, two days before the Lebanese government declared a state of emergency. The initiative was taken by an emergency committee formed by the people of the camp, which is home to around 2000 Palestinian refugees from Lebanon and Syria, as well as poor people of other nationalities. The action was taken in order to avert the occurrence of Coronavirus cases in the camp. If it enters the camp, the virus might spread rapidly as a result of the contiguity of houses and the narrowness of the alleys, where pedestrians can feel each other’s breath as they pass.
Since everyone is susceptible to Corona and because of the nature of the camp’s built environment, the Popular Committee in Mar Elias took measures that might appear extreme at first sight. They prevented parents from letting their children out into the alleys. They also used the camp’s Whatsapp group to tell all camp residents to obey all their decisions and procedures. Members of the Popular Committee even went around to all the houses in the camp to inform residents of the importance of keeping their children indoors until the end of the crisis. They also explained to everyone that a single case in the camp might lead to a real disaster that could not be easily averted.
The procedures were designed to forestall the spread of infection in the camp, since the Popular Committee does not have the logistical means [to fight it], lacking the material resources that popular committees have in other camps. But in the wake of the crisis, the Committee received some help from the Palestinian Embassy in Lebanon, consisting of four decontamination suits to deal with any cases that might arise in the camp. They also received some support from the Mousawat Organization, which provided disinfectants and put its offices at the disposal of the emergency team in the camp. Meanwhile, UNRWA sprayed disinfectant in the camp and continued to provide its usual services, such as garbage collection.
Fortunately, the Popular Committee in Mar Elias camp realized that it had a serious deficiency in this regard around a month ago, so it began training 12 young women and men from the camp to carry out civil defense duties. It managed to secure essential supplies for them from the Palestinian Embassy, such as fire extinguishers and first aid kits, as well as uniforms.
Even though the civil defense team had not concluded the necessary training, it has now become a pillar of the emergency committee that staffs the eastern and western entrances to the camp. They take people’s temperatures and disinfect any goods being carried into the camp, in addition to sterilizing the camp on a daily basis.
The team is supervised by the director of the Shifa’ Clinic in the camp, Walid al-Ahmad, the Civil Defense coordinator, Muhammad Shahadeh (aka Abi Samra), assisted by Walid Urfali, Salameh al-Zammar, and others.
These volunteers work day and night, as the Civil Defense members preside over the camp entrances, checking everyone entering the camp. Because of the small number of people carrying out these duties, the team sought assistance from security forces and members of the Palestinian factions to block the side entrances, so that no one would evade the necessary temperature test and sterilization process.
After a few days of effortful work by the Civil Defense team, they called for volunteers among the young camp residents, both females and males, Palestinians and Syrians, and over 20 people stepped up to support the existing team. They received the necessary instructions and training to ensure that the operation runs smoothly and effectively.
Due to the intense pressure faced by the team and the burden imposed on the camp, which is unprepared to face severe crises, a group of women from the camp, including Ghada Uthman, Umm Hasan, Huwayda, Fatima, and Umm Majd, mobilized to provide daily meals. A sizeable number of other camp residents organized alongside them to deliver the food to the stations at the entrances to the camps, while taking all necessary precautions to protect themselves and others.
