Kurdistan Region announces complete lockdown during Eid al-Fitr celebrations

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that a complete lockdown would be enforced during Eid al-Fitr celebrations to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that a complete lockdown would be enforced during Eid al-Fitr celebrations to mitigate the potential spread of COVID-19.

In a daily statement by the KRG’s Health Ministry, health officials reported 10 new coronavirus cases registered in Sulaimani province in the past 24 hours as a result of 988 tests across the autonomous region.

Previously, in a separate statement, nine individuals who contracted the virus were announced. The health ministry’s report includes all the numbers for 24 hours.

Sulaimani’s uptick in infection rates comes after the province had reported no new cases for 14 consecutive days. The total cases confirmed throughout the Kurdistan Region so far is 414, five of them fatal and 383 where the patients had recovered.

Complete Lockdown

The Interior Ministry’s order announced that a complete lockdown would be enforced for “72 hours in the Kurdistan Region’s provinces,” starting from the first day of Eid-al-Fitr until the end of the celebration. It added that a curfew would be imposed within and between the Kurdistan Region provinces and administrative units, including Iraq’s provinces.

The KRG’s interior minister previously expressed his concern about the 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 Kurdistan Region has so far been able to avoid is still possible.

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

Eid-al-Fitr is expected to be observed on May 24, depending on the Moon sighting to confirm the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan. The Islamic lunar calendar depends on moon cycles that are either 29 or 30 days.

Eid-al-Fitr, meaning feast of the breaking of the fast, is an Islamic festival that is celebrated following the end of Ramadan, continuing for up to three days. Muslims worldwide observe the festival in which they hold social gatherings to celebrate it.

During the festival, all shops, supermarkets, and businesses will be closed, except for pharmacies, according to the ministry’s statement.

Airports and all border-crossings between the Kurdistan Region and neighboring countries remain closed, the statement read. According to the order, trading among provinces and administrative units will remain active.

In late April, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) 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,” he said. “The rate of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in the region is very low compared to other Iraqi governorates.”

Read More: WHO congratulates Kurdistan Region on coronavirus response

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany