Baghdad says 43 Iraqi nationals abroad infected with coronavirus; 2 dead
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that 43 citizens currently abroad have been infected with the deadly coronavirus as the number of cases continues to rise at an alarming rate internationally.
"For their part, our embassies in these countries are making every effort to follow up on the conditions of the infected persons to provide them with medical care," said ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahhaf in a statement.
According to its latest compiled figures, the highest number of infected Iraqi nationals residing abroad was in Belgium, where 11 have contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the highly-contagious virus that was first reported by Chinese authorities in late 2019. Ten more are currently in Jordan and six are in Italy, the nation with the highest reported death count worldwide with, as of Sunday, numbered just over 10,000.
Five cases each were reported in Britain and the US city Los Angeles, California. In the past few days, reported cases in the United States have increased rapidly and overtook the total number of infections in both China and Italy.
Three more are in Canada, two in Lebanon, and one in Iran, which has been the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East and from where it spread to multiple regional states.
The Iraqi ministry noted that one citizen infected with the coronavirus had recently died in Britain and another patient had similarly passed away in Norway on Saturday, though this would appear to mean that the total coronavirus cases in the statement should in fact be 44, since the Norway case was not included in the tally.
A separate Foreign Ministry statement also released on Saturday said that the Iraqi embassy in Oslo is in contact with health authorities in the hospital where an Iraqi woman had passed away and was conducting the "appropriate procedures" to hand over her remains to the family.
Over 663,000 people are confirmed to have contracted the virus in over 180 countries worldwide, according to data compiled by WHO. Close to 31,000 have died, as per official numbers reported by governments around the world, though the rate could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.
On the same day, the Iraqi Civil Aviation Agency informed the Ministry of Transportation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that the suspension of commercial flights to and from all Iraqi airports would continue until April 11. The initial decision came on March 17, when it suspended flights for a week, until March 24, as the government began to take preventive measures to counter the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Read More: Iraq extends suspension of commercial flights again
Earlier on Saturday, the KRG said that it would continue to coordinate with the federal Iraqi government to facilitate the return of citizens from the region who are now abroad. Earlier KRG statements have announced efforts by both Erbil and Baghdad to bring back citizens who are outside Iraq on tourist or student visas.
Read More: KRG extends public holiday, works with Baghdad on return of citizens abroad
"Citizens abroad are to abide by the health instructions of that country and must register their names in the nearest Iraqi embassy or consulate or the representation office of KRG if they wish to return," the statement added.
ON Wednesday, KRG diplomats assured their constituents studying in Europe that they would be able to return to the autonomous region once the coronavirus pandemic passes, even if their travel documents have expired.
According to the most recent tally of Iraq’s Health Ministry, there are a total of 506 confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country, including the Kurdistan Region, with a total of 42 deaths and 131 recoveries.
Editing by John J. Catherine
(Additional reporting by Hiwa Shilani)