Duhok province conducts COVID-19 tests for its field journalists

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The head of Duhok’s Health Directorate Media Department, Mohammad Hamza, announced on Wednesday the negative results of COVID-19 tests conducted for 132 field journalists in the province who had been covering the pandemic.

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Health issued a statement on April 9 asking all field journalists in the Kurdistan Region to take a COVID-19 test to mitigate the risks of the virus spreading again.

“The 132 tests that were conducted for the journalists all came out negative,” Hamza Mohammad told Kurdistan 24.

“According to a plan, reporters and journalists of different media organizations were scheduled to take coronavirus tests, beginning on April 11,” Mohammad said. Following the health ministry statement, the province began to take COVID-19 tests for field journalists at the Respiratory Consultation Center in Duhok, he added.

The test results come as the province declared victory over COVID-19 on Monday, making it the first province in the region to tackle the virus completely. The total confirmed COVID-19 cases in Duhok were 15, all of which recovered completely, and no deaths reported.

Following a peak in the virus’ spread rate, the concrete barriers that were initially set to restrict movements in the province as part of a curfew were removed on the streets while markets and shopping centers were also re-opened with limited hours of operation.  

The province reported its first case of coronavirus on March 19 from a resident who returned from Germany, allegedly contracting the virus there.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany