Politics

Kurdistan Region 'concerned' about coronavirus spike in other parts of Iraq

On Thursday, a high-level official in the Kurdistan Region expressed his concern about the still substantial number of new daily cases of the coronavirus throughout other parts of Iraq and stressed that the kind of widespread outbreak of the highly-contagious disease that the autonomous region has so far been able to avoid is still possible.

Mustafa Shilani 2020/05/14 18:45

middle east Kurdistan KRG COVID-19 Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Thursday, a high-level official in the Kurdistan Region expressed his concern about the still substantial number of new daily cases of the coronavirus throughout other parts of Iraq and stressed that the kind of widespread outbreak of the highly-contagious disease that the autonomous region has so far been able to avoid is still possible.

“In the rest of the cities in Iraq, the number of new infections of the virus is still increasing and this prompts us to adhere to our own precautionary measures because fears of the virus in the region still exist,” said Reber Ahmed, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Minister of Interior during a press conference in Erbil.

Ahmed also explained that the KRG's strict protective measures enacted across the region had indeed further escalated the current economic crisis, but that “we sacrificed the economic aspect for the safety of citizens.”

“We do not want to say that we have won against the coronavirus, because without a vaccine, the threat still remains,” he added, pointing out that the virus does not stop at national or regional borders, so it must be limited through human behaviour.

Later that evening, Iraq’s federal Ministry of Health and Environment in Baghdad announced 111 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the country during the previous 24 hours. On the previous day, the total number infections so far recorded across the country topped 3,000.

On Tuesday, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Iraq warned members of an ongoing mass protest movement, which has been active since October and caused the resignation of the former prime minister, that assembling in large crowds increases the chances of a second major wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in the embattled nation.

The official said in a statement that "all human gatherings at this phase constitute a danger to the citizens, and to Iraqi society in general, especially with the increasing number of infections of the coronavirus in most Iraqi cities."

Before Ahmed's comments on Thursday, Human Rights Watch warned that overcrowded conditions in Iraq's prisons could also lead to major outbreaks and called on the newly appointed government to bring existing domestic laws in line with international standards and to take anti-COVID-19 measures in all detention facilities.

On Monday, the KRG resumed normal working hours at government offices, though staffed lighter as part of a rotational duty plan that allows one-third of the employees work per day wearing masks and protective gloves. Schools, universities, cafes, bars, and many other venues of public gathering remain closed.

Ahmed also stated that “measures preventing travel between the provinces in the region, airport closures, and also travel between the region and the Iraqi provinces will remain,” adding that new decisions will be taken later on by the ministry to clarify the restrictions, “in addition the precautionary procedures at the border-crossings, and checkpoints will also remain strict because the virus is still a threat in neighbouring countries.”

In late April, the main WHO office in Iraq applauded the success of the KRG's efforts to combat the disease. “I want to congratulate the Kurdistan Region on their achievement in fighting the coronavirus,” said an official from the organization. “The rate of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in the region is very low compared to other Iraqi governorates.”

The coronavirus has infected over 4.4 million people worldwide and killed more than 300,000, according to government-reported data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.

Editing by John J. Catherine