The whole world is facing the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic; fear is widespread and people are beginning to spend their days in self-willed isolation. Schools are shutting down, restaurants are closing, and travel bans are being put in place. No matter where you are, daily life is changing.
But some places are threatened by the crisis much more than others. Medical supplies and developed healthcare infrastructure are necessary for handling the pandemic. Countries without either are left to fend for themselves, facing a much more scary reality than is seen in Europe or North America.
Iran, one of the countries most affected with 16,000 cases and around 1,000 deaths as of March 19th, doesn’t have access to medical supplies due to US sanctions. Because of this, much-needed medical equipment becomes expensive and conserved, causing cases to go untested and inadequately treated.
Natural disasters and epidemics expose the flaws within the world’s social institutions and infrastructure, and the situation in Iran is just one example of immorality on the international stage being revealed by the virus.
In Gaza, where there still aren’t any reported cases, there are much stronger sanctions and impediments in place that make the virus a threat of unanticipated proportions. The virus has already reached the West Bank and Israel, with 47 and 677 cases respectively. If it reaches Gaza, which is likely, the territory would lack the means to control it.
Gaza has been blockaded through air, sea, and land by Israel and Egypt since 2007. Because of this, there is an extreme scarcity of medical supplies. There are only 200 testing kits and 20 available ventilation devices to service a population of two million, and only one hospital bed for every 1,000 people. According to the WHO, 97% of Gaza’s water isn’t fit for human consumption, making clean water unavailable to even wash one’s hands, let alone stay hydrated if one contracts the virus. In a territory as densely populated as Gaza, which averages 13,000 inhabitants per square mile, an outbreak would spread with ease with no way to stop it.
Hamas, the organization ruling the enclave, has begun taking steps to counter the spread of the virus. With the help of WHO officials, a quarantine center has been set up with necessary supplies. But despite the Palestinian government in the West Bank declaring a state of emergency, Hamas has yet to do so.
The harsh reality is that there is little Gaza can do to prevent an outbreak. Government actions might help, but there is ultimately no stopping an emergency situation in a densely populated land with crumbling infrastructure. It is in times of strife such as these that the inadequacies of world institutions are shown. Gaza has been in crisis long before COVID-19 came to be, and the virus will only intensify it.
Maybe with help from the global media spotlight fueled by coronavirus, help will be given. All one can hope is that once this is all over, the problems of the world that have been laid bare begin to be addressed. It is from chaos that the greatest change occurs.
Arlo O’Blaney
grew up in New York City and is currently a Human Rights major at Bard College. He intends on using this background to pursue a career in journalism. He almost played D3 Lacrosse but realized how bad of an idea that was.