Kurdistan cabinet assesses anti-coronavirus measures, economic fallout

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani on Tuesday chaired a special meeting with his cabinet to assess the implementation of the government's ever-tightening regulations and preventative measures aimed at combatting the further spread of the coronavirus, as well as its economic ramifications.

Ministers attending the session, held for the first time remotely as a video conference, focused on reviewing the general population’s needs for sufficient food, medicine, and fuel.

“During the meeting, Prime Minister Barzani praised the Kurdistan people's resilience, and encouraged them to continue abiding by the rules and regulations set in place for public safety,” read a statement by his press office.

Barzani made a point to give credit to various government agencies, primarily the police, security (Asayish), Peshmerga forces, and Health Ministry medical teams for their ceaseless efforts to contain the deadly coronavirus.

He also thanked investors and business owners who answered the government's call to contribute to easing the resulting financial burdens placed on the region's citizenry.

Read More: Kurdistan's political, business leaders donate to support anti-coronavirus efforts

“At the meeting, it was decided to establish national assistance and fundraising campaigns under the direct supervision of the Council of Ministers. All collected funds will be fairly and transparently allocated across the region's cities, towns and districts. This new plan will encompass individual and localised efforts already underway. Prime Minister Barzani called on the Federal Government of Iraq and the international community to assist the Kurdistan Region in this regard,” the statement continued.

“The finance, interior and Peshmerga ministries, together with the security forces, were tasked with establishing a convenient mechanism to pay Peshmerga, police and security forces' salaries, in accordance with anti-coronavirus rules and regulations.”

As part of implementing the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) reform agenda, read the statement, public finances will be overhauled and expenses reduced.

The cabinet also decided to continue working with the federal government in Baghdad toward guaranteeing the Kurdistan Region’s “budgetary share and constitutional rights.”

The ministers concluded the remote meeting by scheduling another to deal with key oil and gas issues, to study the reorganization of the sector’s revenues, the coronavirus' negative impact on world oil markets, and the Kurdistan Region's economic forecast.

The KRG has enacted various precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the region such as temporarily closing schools, declaring extended public holidays for government employees, canceling all religious services, and announcing a curfew in Erbil and Sulaimani provinces.

On Friday, the government took the mandatory restrictions to a higher level by announcing a 48-hour curfew in the provinces of Erbil and Sulaimani before extending it for an additional 72 hours early on Sunday. 

Read More: KRG extends curfew by 72 hours as authorities report more coronavirus cases 

On Tuesday, it tightened its ongoing precautionary measures, with the KRG's Ministry of Interior (police) warning that it would penalize any drivers who take to the road in violation of the strict curfew now in place with a 100,000 Iraqi dinar ($84) fine. Anyone found committing a second violation will be charged 300,000 dinars ($251) and have their vehicle confiscated for five days.

Read More: Kurdistan tightens curfews in Erbil, Sulaimani amid new coronavirus cases

The Kurdistan Region has so far confirmed 37 cases of coronavirus, among them one dead and nine recovered, according to the latest data announced by the Ministry of Health. 

The Iraqi federal government's Ministry of Health and Environment said on Tuesday that the entire nation, including the Kurdistan Region, was up to a total of 154 confirmed cases and 11 deaths from the disease.  

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which declared it a global pandemic last week, the coronavirus has so far infected over 198,000 and killed nearly 8,000 worldwide since first appearing in China in late 2019. 

Editing by John J. Catherine