Basra tightens curfew as virus cases rise; other Iraqi provinces ease restrictions
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Authorities in the southern Iraqi province of Basra said on Tuesday that they had decided to tighten curfew measures currently in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus as confirmed cases of the disease rose to alarming numbers in two separate districts.
“We have decided to close off the districts of Shatt al-Arab and al-Midaina entirely, as coronavirus infections have escalated in both,” read a public statement released by the Basra Crisis Cell, tasked with coordinating the health response in the province. It further noted that the number of cases in Midaina alone had reached 50.
The body affirmed that, for now, the two specified districts would be exempt from an easing on the restrictions of movement that are being gradually implemented in the country. From 6 a.m. till 3 p.m., it read, the curfew in the rest of Basra province has been lifted.
Over the past three days alone, health authorities in Basra have reported 40 new coronavirus cases. These figures make a significant portion of the country’s overall daily infections, with some transmissions significantly declining in some provinces and reaching zero in parts of the country.
Read More: Iraq’s Nineveh eases curfew amid apparent absence of COVID-19 cases
In total, Basra authorities claim to have only recorded 281 coronavirus cases, including 17 deaths and 129 recoveries, according to the latest data released by the Iraqi government. The country as a whole has confirmed 1,602 cases, including 83 deaths and 1,096 recoveries.
The lockdown in the two Basra districts comes as the rest of Iraq is bracing to partially reopen ahead of the Islamic month of Ramadan, according to a government statement on Tuesday. As per the new regulations, government offices will operate at just 25 percent of normal staffing, some small shops will be able to reopen, and the public is allowed to go out on weekdays in the daytime.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which worshippers observe 29–31 days of fasting and prayers during daylight hours to commemorate when Muslims believe the prophet Mohammed received his divine revelations. It is set to begin on the evening of April 23 and will end on the same day of the following month.
Places of large gatherings, including shopping malls and mosques, are set to remain closed, the government statement noted. The relaxing of measures would be in effect until May 22, the end of the month of Ramadan, when the situation will be reevaluated.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announce that four days in a row had passed with no new cases of the coronavirus were recorded in the region.
Related Article: Kurdistan decides to ease lockdown after fourth day of no new COVID-19 cases
As a result, said officials in Erbil, curfew restrictions would soon be eased.
Editing by John J. Catherine