Iraq warns large gatherings increase COVID-19 cases, reports 4,500 new infections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment on Saturday announced 4,644 new coronavirus cases and 63 deaths due to the disease over the past 24 hours.

The ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 23,872 tests in 24 hours, making for a total of 1,718,157 tests carried out since the outbreak of the virus in Iraq.

It also pointed out that up to this point, there have been 256,719 confirmed coronavirus cases in Iraq, including 195,259 recoveries, and 7,422 deaths, with 54,038 cases still active.

Late Friday evening, the Ministry of Health also warned of "losing control" over the coronavirus in Iraq, claiming that the large, tightly-packed gatherings during the Ashura processions exacerbated the crisis.

Thousands of Shia Muslims from multiple provinces across Iraq gathered to commemorate the annual religious observance of Ashura in the city of Karbala. Many attending could be seen wearing masks that were handed out for free, but in precisely the kind of behavior that health officials around the world have consistently and emphatically warned against, large numbers of the faithful crowded in very close proximity for hours on end.

The ministry stressed once more the importance of the need to take seriously the preventive measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, avoiding mass gatherings.

"Most of the Hussaini gatherings adhered to the preventive measures, but we saw many large gatherings in many places such as streets, markets, restaurants, etc., without taking any of the measures recommended by our ministry."

The statement also explained that these gatherings caused an increase in the number of coronavirus infections. "The number will continue to rise in the coming days, and we fear it will lead to a loss of control of our health institutions in dealing with" it.

This would, in turn, lead to a rise in the number of coronavirus fatalities.

Editing by Khrush Najari