Kurdistan Region reopens two border crossings with Iran

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Interior announced the reopening of two border crossings with Iran starting from April 28.

In a statement on late Monday, the ministry revealed that the reopening of the Tawela border-crossing in Halabja province and the Kelli border-crossing in the Rapareen administrative district is for commercial exchange only.

The statement said preventive health measures the Ministry of Health had issued would apply to both border checkpoints to prevent the spillover of COVID-19 from Iran into the region.

“No travelling will be allowed in both border-crossings toward Iran or from it without the approval of the Ministry of Interior,” the statement added.

The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Interior previously halted all travel and passenger movement throughout its borders as part of strict measures to combat the deadly coronavirus, allowing only trade and commercial exchange through its international border-crossing while completely halting movement through its local border-crossings. 

The Kurdistan Region shares three official border crossings with Iran: Bashmakh, Parwezkhan, and Haji Omaran. It also has three local and unofficial border crossings, which are Kelli, Tawela, and Pshte.

Besides banning travel via its borders, the regional government has enacted multiple strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus such as temporarily closing schools, declaring extended public holidays for government employees, and cancelling all religious services and other public gatherings.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health announced eight new coronavirus cases in Erbil and Sulaimani provinces on Tuesday, bringing the number of infected in the region to 355, with 322 recoveries and four deaths.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany