Nechirvan Barzani, Iraqi Kurdistan region president, 2019. Photo: Waar/KRG
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— As the Kurdistan Regional Government KRG begins to relax restrictions on businesses after more than a month under curfew, Iraqi Kurdistan region president Nechirvan Barzani on Monday called on residents to continue to stay home as much as possible, so that there is not a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
“I call on people to remain patient at home. I know it is hard because some have been quarantined at their homes and become bored, but we will pass this situation,” said Barzani said during a press conference.
“The Kurdistan Region Government took the health measures as soon as possible to prevent coronavirus from further spreading and protecting public was the only purpose of them,” he said, adding his thanks for those who adhered to the KRG and health ministry’s instructions.
The office of Erbil Governor Firsat Sofi said in a statement on Monday that no one can enter Erbil governorate without formal permission from the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Interior.
“We ask the people of Kurdistan Region not to avoid the main roads and check points because they will not be allowed to enter in the governorate. Anyone who has permission [to enter] will be tested for coronavirus, then they will be allowed to enter,” the office said.
The entire Kurdistan Region is currently under a curfew order designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, which restricts people from traveling during certain times of day and in between the Region’s cities and governorates. The curfew began in Erbil and Sulaimani on March 14 and is currently scheduled to end on April 23.
So far, and according to the KRG ministry of health there have been 337 cases of coronavirus in Iraqi Kurdistan. A total of 284 patients have recovered, and four people have died.
The World Health Organization has declared the spread of coronavirus, formally known COVID-19, to be a pandemic. The statistics on Monday evening showed that there are over 2,458,000 coronavirus cases globally, including more than 168,900 confirmed deaths, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
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