DAMASCUS - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have recovered from COVID-19 and have tested negative for the disease, the Syrian presidency said on Tuesday.

"After the end of the quarantine period, symptoms of COVID-19 and negative PCR results, President Bashar al-Assad and Mrs Asma al-Assad have resumed their work normally," the presidency said in a statement.

The Syrian presidency had announced that Assad and his wife, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, had tested positive on March 8.  

Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the government's coronavirus advisory committee told Reuters last week as the country kicked off its vaccination campaign.  

(Reporting By Kinda Makieh Writing By Maha El Dahan Editing by Andrew Heavens and Peter Graff) ((Maha.Dahan@thomsonreuters.com; + 9712 4082101; Reuters Messaging: maha.dahan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))