Iraqi Kurdistan out of danger from coronavirus: health minister
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Health Saman Barzinji said during a press conference on Sunday that Iraq’s Kurdistan region is in a positive position regarding the coronavirus pandemic and that the virus no longer poses a present threat to the population.
“Coronavirus is not dangerous in the Kurdistan Region, but the virus poses a threat to the world and neighboring countries, so we need to follow the health regulations,” Barzinji said.
The minister added that, after working with the coronavirus operations rooms in each of the provinces, the government was ready to relax many restrictions on bazaars, shops, restaurants, and mosques, provided that owners and patrons follow appropriate hygiene and public health measures.
“In order for the mosques to reopen, we have given regulations to the KRG Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs for people to follow,” Barzinji Said.
On Sunday, Duhok Health Directorate said that all coronavirus patients in the governorate have recovered. With that news, only seventeen patients remain hospitalized with COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, all of whom are being treated in Erbil.
So far, and according to the KRG ministry of health there have been 391 cases of coronavirus in Iraqi Kurdistan. A total of 369 patients have recovered, and five people have died.
Sulaimani’s Directorate of Nationality said on Saturday that, when it reopens as expected on Monday, that it will offer only limited services and will not allow anyone inside the building who is not wearing a mask and gloves, which it said was a public health measure designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“Concerning daily operations, the directorate will only process marriage, divorce, birth, and death certificates, replace lost national ID cards, and handle requests from other directorates,” it said in statement.
At the beginning of March, many of the Kurdistan Region’s ministries, directorates, and agencies shut down as part of the government’s efforts to prevent a serious coronavirus outbreak.
The government is expected to reopen on May 11, but with similar initial restrictions as outlined by the directorate.
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