Kurdistan Region coronavirus death toll rises to 3
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Late on Saturday, a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health official announced the third fatality so far caused by the coronavirus in the autonomous region.
Dr. Sabah Hawrami, head of the Sulaimani Health Directorate, said in a press conference that, after a patient showing signs consistent with COVID-19 passed away, test results showed that they had, in fact, contracted the highly-contagious virus that has infected over one million people worldwide.
No personal details of the individual were released to the public.
KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani visited Sulaimani Governor Havel Abubakir on Saturday to discuss the latest government strategies to combat the outbreak of the coronavirus, the KRG said in a statement.
The two latest developments in the fight against the pandemic, as well as the measures being taken to slow and stop the spread of the virus.
According to the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health, there are a total of 214 confirmed cases of coronavirus. With the third death and 74 patients that have recovered, there are 137 active cases remaining.
Read More: KRG says 74 COVID-19 patients have recovered; total cases increase to 214, deaths still at 2
So far, a total of 9,622 persons were tested for the virus, with 9408 giving negative results.
The KRG has enacted several precautionary measures to contain the virus, including a region-wide curfew since mid-March.
The Kurdistan Region’s Interior Ministry announced on Friday a further tightening of curfew measures for 48 hours.
Read More: KRG tightens curfew for next 48 hours as COVID-19 cases continue to climb
As part of the measure, all vehicular and pedestrian movement is completely banned throughout the Kurdistan Region. All shops and bakeries, previously allowed to remain open to serve local needs, will be closed to prevent the further spread of the virus. It also restricts doctors and Health Ministry employees from driving unless the travel is directly related to work.
On Saturday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on social media that the two-day intensified lockdown was announced after a rise in curfew violations and of coronavirus cases.
“We are in this fight together, and your compliance is essential: you must not leave your homes,” he continued.
“We Kurdistanis are no strangers to hardships, and through small sacrifices now, we will prevail. By acting as one, we will save lives, make our recovery easier, and win our war against #COVID2019.”
Editing by John J. Catherine