The Ministry of Interior in the Syrian regime has suspended civil status events recording, personal and family cards provision as well as civil registry transactions, until 2 April, as a part of the precautionary measures against the emerging Coronavirus (COVID-19).

On Thursday,19 March,  the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported that the ministry stopped recording civil status events and granting identity cards and family registers in the central administration, civil affairs directorates, civil registry secretariats, centers, and divisions in all governorates.

Civil registry transactions include identity cards, family registers, individual and family civil registration extract, passports, and transactions involving marriage, birth, divorce, and death.

In the absence of electronic systems, and the failure to provide possible alternatives by the Ministry of Interior, the perpetuation of such a situation for a period longer than specified is expected to create a new crisis’ for citizens.

Citizens will be exempt from fines for late registration of civil events as well as new identity cards as well as family registers’ acquisition thereafter.

The relevant authorities in Syria have not announced any infections with the emerging novel Coronavirus while taking many preventive measures and launching stay-at-home campaigns.

Citizen service centers were closed in all governorates, along with parks, cinema halls, theaters, clubs, children’s playrooms, Internet cafes, nightclubs, as well as wedding and funeral venues.

This shutdown included all in-person classes comprising schools, universities, public and private technical institutes, in addition to sterilizing university housing units, as well as reducing the number of workers in administrative public sector institutions by 40 percent.