COVID-19: Iraq reports 3,210 new cases, as health official warns against reopening schools

A health ministry official told local media that students' return to school is currently "unsafe."

Mustafa Shilani 2020/10/04 16:55

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment on Sunday announced 3,210 new cases of the coronavirus and 52 deaths due to the disease in the last 24 hours.

In its daily statement, the health ministry indicated that health workers had conducted 19,047 tests within 24 hours, making for a total of 2,349,433 such tests carried out since the start of the outbreak in Iraq.

According to the health ministry’s figures, the total number of confirmed cases with COVID-19 in Iraq reached 379,141, including 307,482 recoveries and 9,399 deaths.

An official in the federal health ministry warned against the reopening of schools amid the pandemic, claiming that the daily number of cases may rise above 10,000.

Dr. Zyad Hazem, who works for the ministry, told local media that students' return to school is currently "unsafe."

Hazem explained that students could follow their curricula through online learning, an alternative many institutions around the world have chosen.

The official also indicated that the government would decide on the new school year's details next month.

In three days, Iraqi Shias will hold a religious procession called Arbaeen to take place, with officials warning that it could lead to a spike in the number of infections.

Editing by Khrush Najari