Iraq News Now

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is posing a serious challenge to Iraq and its oil sector at a crucial moment of political transition.

So far, senior health officials said, five people in Iraq have tested positive: an Iranian student in Najaf and a family of four in Kirkuk who recently visited Iran. Iran has seen a sharp rise in the reported deaths from COVID-19 in the last week.

While Iraq's oil production has not been affected so far, foreign and national oil companies are making contingency plans for logistical disruptions, and some have already faced difficulty rotating foreign staff into the country.

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