Erbil governor warns of 'catastrophe,' says 'tough' measures to come as COVID-19 cases climb

"There are dangerous indications of a catastrophe if we do not take the necessary steps."

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Sunday, Erbil province governor Firsat Sofi reiterated concerns regarding the lax attitude of the public towards the safety and preventive regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. In ongoing efforts to limit transmission, Sofi stated that authorities would announce new, stricter measures late Sunday.

Read More: Kurdistan reports all-time highs for daily COVID-19 deaths and infections

"The current measures taken are not sufficient to control the outbreak of the virus," Sofi said during a press briefing in the Kurdistan Region capital. "There are dangerous indications of a catastrophe if we do not take the necessary steps."

Sofi noted that Erbil's coronavirus crisis center would meet late Sunday and "make some tough decisions," but assured that the entity "would take into consideration everyone's interests." He affirmed, however, that if the authorities do not take the "necessary measures..., the situation will get out of our control."

"The decisions that we will agree on tonight will be taken into effect tomorrow at midnight," Sofi added. The moves would be "harsh," but the government is obligated to ensure "the health and safety of citizens," he said.

Among the decisions include shutting down inter-provincial travel inside the Kurdistan Region and between the region and Iraqi provinces, Sofi explained.

The governor also announced that an anonymous benefactor donated $300,000 to the province and that the authorities had directed the funds to the Erbil health directorate to aid efforts to combat the spread of the virus.

Also at the press conference, head of Erbil health directorate Dlovan Jalal said, "the situation in Erbil, in general, is moving towards an increase in cases, and most of the infected need intensive care. Therefore, the situation requires tighter measures to control the epidemic."

Jalal also pointed out that there are 428 confirmed coronavirus cases in the province alone, along with 23 fatalities. At the same time, according to the autonomous region's health ministry data, there are over 5,500 confirmed cases and 180 coronavirus-related deaths across the Kurdistan Region.

Editing by Khrush Najari