Politics

First flights land in Kurdistan Region as COVID-19 travel ban lifted

Airports in the Kurdistan Region's cities of Erbil and Sulaimani received their first arrivals on Saturday as they restarted commercial flights after months of closure as part of travel restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Mustafa Shilani 2020/08/01 11:03

kurdistan Kurdistan Erbil EIA COVID-19 Sulaimani Iraq Coronavirus

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Airports in the Kurdistan Region's cities of Erbil and Sulaimani received their first arrivals on Saturday as they restarted commercial flights after months of closure as part of travel restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

According to a statement from Erbil International Airport, as passengers stepped off the domestic flight from Bagdad at 11:00 a.m., airport and health officials carried out multiple precautionary procedures and gave instructions "that must be followed by all travelers passing through the airport."

On Sunday, the Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry explained, "Passengers must visit the airport to take a COVID-19 medical test,” before flying out, and those flying into the Kurdistan Region’s airports from abroad will be tested inside the airport, as well." In addition, passengers must wear protective masks and gloves, before they arrive at the airport.

Since March 17, flights have been suspended throughout the Kurdistan Region, under orders from Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority. Flights to and from international airports in the Iraqi cities Baghdad, Najaf, and Basra resumed on July 23.

Authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), however, announced that they opted to add an extra week to properly and safely prepare for the lifting of the ban.

As the airport reopened on Saturday, its administration said that travelers coming to the Kurdistan Region must "conduct a test (PCR) 48 hours before arrival, or it can be done at the airport at the expense of the traveler," stressing that all those landing in the autonomous region "must quarantine themselves for 14 days after their arrival."

The statement said it would exclude "official delegations, businessmen, and tourists who visit the region for a short period," from the quarantine rule, but did not give a clear explanation as to why.
On Friday, the Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry announced that 243 new coronavirus cases had been discovered in the past 24 hours, along with ten fatalities.

The coronavirus has infected more than 17.6 million people worldwide and killed nearly 678,000 according to government-reported data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.

Editing by John J. Catherine