Palestinian camps in Lebanon are confronting the coronavirus crisis. Camps, however, seem to operate on their own, as if they are in a completely different galaxy than that of their host country.
The Lebanese government has put in place a plan that forced citizens to quarantine. It has called for a national state of health emergency. However, refugees living in the isolated Burj al-Shumali camp (like other camps in the Tyre region of South Lebanon) consider quarantining to be useless because of contiguous housing and unsanitary infrastructure in the camp.
The official stance of the People’s Committee and Joint Work factions in the camp has been the prohibition of mass gatherings. Mass prayer has stopped at mosques, social events that a large number of people attend have been banned, many athletic and sports activities have been halted, and coffee shops were forced to close. People have been asked to commit to quarantining in their homes, while some UNRWA schools closed their doors.However, many argue that the unsanitary closeness of homes, with deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowding of refugees, and the intimate social nature of life in the camp, makes quarantining difficult for the camp inhabitants.
Closing schools, for example, has complicated the situation, since one home houses at least six individuals, all of whom now have to stay together in a small space. Distance-learning has proven difficult, as teachers send their lessons online expecting students to understand and study on their own. This method implemented by the UNRWA is failing for more than one reason: lack of computers and/or absence of an internet service for many; an abundance of lessons that make it difficult for parents to follow with their children; and finally, big families in small spaces do not foster distance-learning environments, which often causes students to be distracted.
The rapid spread of the coronavirus makes the camp one of the places most likely to be infected. One infected patient can lead to hundreds, so, some argue, how can we commit to a health quarantine in an unsanitary environment?
A taxi driver tells me he can not stop working because of the economic crisis in the country and because of the banks holding depositors’ money hostage.
A 70-year-old woman in his company interrupts and responds to a statement by the president of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, who has called for the closure of Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps. She says: “Everyone here objects to this statement, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when hearing such a speech is that this is a threat to close the camp checkpoints, which are outlets, leaving people inside to die.”
Jokes about past crises that Palestinians faced and survived reflect people’s carelessness about preventative measures. Examples of these jokes include: “Those who drank from UNRWA school sinks fear the coronavirus?!”; “Palestinians have a strong immunity, they’re not afraid of the virus”, and sometimes the joke carries a more tragic feel: “We are dead either way.” With that, a former combatant says: “We are dead, it’s all in God’s hands, bombs used to fall from above and below, we were in the middle of battles and we did not die, and [you tell me that] corona will kill us?”
Amidst this environment, the Palestinian Civil Defense continues to raise awareness and contribute to civil work to prevent the spread of the virus. Its awareness campaigns have involved distributing flyers and sanitizing the camp. They were the first to call for people to abide by instructions given by the Lebanese ministry of health. However, the Palestinian Civil Defense organization is lacking equipment and support, and it is not qualified to deal with the situation in case infections hit the camp. Additionally, the role of the UNRWA and Palestinian factions remain unclear.