COVID-19 Syria: Zeina Shahla Talks About Her Experience Covering Covid-19
Syria-based journalist Zeina Shahla is covering COVID-19 from Damascus while in self-quarantine. She has been working as a freelance journalist for the last three years with a focus on social and humanitarian issues. Zeina is currently reporting for Raseef22 and BBC Arabic. She recently reported about the impact of the coronavirus on those with hearing impairment. We spoke with Zeina for an in-depth view of how she has been covering the pandemic in Syria, particularly since the country has been facing numerous challenges on various fronts.
Zeina said that she focuses more on the impact of coronavirus, as it is not as widespread inside Syria as yet.
“My experience while covering this issue is mostly related to the side effects of this disease, and how the preventive actions are affecting the daily life of Syrian people, who are exhausted after nine years of brutal war that had great negative impacts on all life aspects inside the country, especially on the economic level,” Zeina said.
In terms of dealing with excess information regarding the virus, Zeina said that the Syrian ministry of health has reported only five confirmed cases so far. However, it has apparently taken serious measures to prevent the dissemination of the virus in the country, including the closure of almost all schools, universities, public places, and activities; as well as the prohibition of all types of gatherings, and a night curfew for 12 hours.
In terms of ensuring her safety, Zeina said that she wears a mask and gloves. She also maintains distance when going out on the streets and in public spaces for interviews.
“I carry a hand sanitizer with me all the time to be used when necessary, and clean my mobile phone, which I use to take photos or record interviews on a regular basis. When I come back home, I wash my hands thoroughly, and clean everything using alcohol,” she shared with CFWIJ.
Zeina further shared that following an influx of false news and rumors regarding coronavirus in Syria, the government is trying to tackle the situation by binding journalists to the official sources of information.
“As for me, and until now, I have not faced any restrictions by the government to cover anything,” she said.
However, she added that it is not easy to cover the issue in a complicated war zone like Syria. “We already face many issues that impact a majority of Syrian people, particularly the deteriorating economic situation. Therefore, there is a need for balance to be maintained,” she said noting that the restriction on information that the Syrian government is imposing is another challenge.
“This makes it hard for us to sometimes get clear information about certain things that people need to know about and depend on journalists to explain or at least get more details,” she added.
To keep her mental and physical health in check, Zeina tries to balance the amount of news she consumes about the pandemic.
“I’m now trying to strike a balance between the coronavirus news and other things in my life, especially with the restrictions on movement and the need to stay at home for long hours. I’m dedicating time to do some form of sport and walk. I’m watching funny TV series or movies to break free from the daily routine; and most importantly, I get great support from friends and family, and depend especially on social media that turned into a kind of safety circle to share ideas, concerns and discuss everything we need,” Zeina shared.
Following the COVID-19 crisis, Zeina said that not much has changed for her in terms of her reporting in Syria. “The scope of my work has not changed much, as I’m reporting mainly on the social aspects of the new disease, and how it is affecting the daily life of Syrian people,” she told CFWIJ.
For journalists who have been covering the pandemic across the world, Zeina shared some words of advice.
“We need to stay safe. No issue is worthy enough to risk our life or the lives of our beloved ones for. Covering COVID-19 differs from one country to another. For sure there are some common things, but every place has its own distinctiveness, and this is what we need to search for, as we talk about the novel virus and its effects on our lives. It is global, but we as journalists need to search for our own stories to tell the world how we are living and coping with this very new situation,” she said.
Zeina added that it is also important for journalists to raise awareness about the disease and inform people about fake news surrounding Covid-19. She also emphasized on the need to focus on one’s mental health in order to “preserve our ability to report good and distinguishing stories that the world needs to hear from us.”
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