Syrian President Bashar Assad has fled the country.

DAMASCUS Syrians headed to polling stations in government-held parts of the war-torn country on Sunday to elect a new parliament amid strict health measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus amid an increase of cases in recent days. The vote is the third to take place in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011. As in previous votes in Syria, the vote will produce a rubber-stamp body loyal to the president. Inside polling stations, all workers were wearing masks and gloves and voters had to use their own pens in the sanitized booths. They include 1,400 stations where troops and members of the countrys security services will vote.

FILE - In this January 13, 2010 file photo, Syrian employees stack packets of Syrian currency in the Central Syrian Bank in, Damascus, Syria. Syria faces near complete isolation as the toughest U.S. sanctions yet start to come into effect next week. The Syrian economy has spiraled out of control and the regime cannot control the Syrian pound anymore, said Osama Kadi, a Canada-based Syrian economic adviser. The Syrian government called the sanctions economic terrorism.Some of the repercussions have already been profound. Syrian legislator Muhannad Haj Ali, who has been under European and American sanctions for years, said Syria survived past economic crises and will overcome the Caesar Act.