A street cleaner rests at the empty Souk al-Hamidieh in Damascus on March 24, 2020. Reuters file photo

Asharq Al-Awsat

Syria reported on Sunday the first fatality from the coronavirus in the war-torn country, which has five confirmed infections.

Regime media said a woman died upon reaching an emergency room and tested positive for the virus, without saying where it happened.

Syria has closed schools, restaurants and cafes, and imposed a nighttime curfew last week aimed at preventing the spread of the pandemic.

Its health care system has been battered by nearly a decade of civil war, leaving the country particularly vulnerable.

Medics and witnesses say there are more than five cases in the country. Officials deny a cover-up despite imposing the lockdown and draconian measures to stem the pandemic.