Erbil to reopen tourist destinations, but with strict COVID-19 regulations
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region’s Board of Tourism announced that starting on Thursday, all tourism locations in Erbil province closed now for several weeks to curb the spread of the coronavirus will be allowed to reopen, but with strict health measures in place.
Nader Rosti, the spokesperson, told Kurdistan 24 that the Regional Government's (KRG) Parliamentary COVID-19 Crisis Cell has authorized governors to decide whether to reopen the now-shuttered tourism destinations as well as the hundreds of nearby hotels, restaurants, and other small business that serve those visiting the sites.
The board has been proactive in recent months in enforcing the regulations that will be lifted, likely in stages.
Read More: Tourism board fines, closes 98 hotels, cafes for violating KRG's anti-coronavirus measures
During a press conference on Tuesday, KRG Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said that local provincial governments will be given the authority to implement certain relaxations of current health regulations amid a new temporary region-wide curfew following a spike in new coronavirus cases.
On Tuesday, the Kurdistan Region recorded a new record-breaking number of COVID-19 cases since the outbreak first hit the region in early March, including 104 cases and seven deaths during the previous 24 hours.
Read More: COVID-19: Kurdistan Region records 104 new cases, 7 deaths amid recent spike
Rosti also stated that “based on the request of the governor of Erbil, Firsat Sofi, we have established seven committees to administer the new measures and also distribute personal protective equipment which, including medical gloves and masks, at all tourism locations inside Erbil starting from June 4, 2020.”
“Similar committees are established for the districts and sub-districts to make sure the regulations set as a condition to reopen tourist attractions are being followed,” he added.
Erbil's Directorate of Tourism previously issued a set of instructions as conditions to be implemented in tourist destinations, including “No use of hookahs, no group celebrations, the number of chairs surrounding the tables must be no more than four with the spacing between the tables not less than three meters, and the enforced use of disposable (single use) equipment for catering and using nylon coverings on all tables which must be changed regularly.”
The instructions also dictate that doors and windows should be left open at all times, that sterilization and disinfection must be conducted every day, that at least one worker dedicated to cleaning and sterilizing bathrooms, that no tourists will be allowed to enter bathrooms without protective masks and gloves, that workers in tourist facilities must be wearing masks and gloves at all times, and hours of operation must be no later than 1 a.m.
Editing by John J. Catherine