COVID-19: Iraq records over 2,000 daily infections, nearly 1,800 recoveries
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment reported on Wednesday over 2,000 new infections and 87 deaths, as 1,839 have completely recovered from the highly infectious disease, formally known as COVID-19.
In its daily statement, the ministry mentioned that health workers had conducted 15,185 tests across the country in the same period, raising the total to 728,737 since the disease first entered the country. Out of the total new examinations, 2,110 returned positive.
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According to official data, the total number of infections in Iraq has crossed 83,867, which includes 52,621 recoveries, 3,432 deaths, and 27,814 still receiving treatment.
Flight ban extended
On Monday, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority announced it had extended a flight ban on commercial flights until July 22, a precautionary measure to curb the further spread of COVID-19.
Read More: COVID-19: Iraq extends flight ban, reports over 2,000 recoveries, infections in single day
The extension came as a federal government’s order indicated commercial flights would then resume for citizens seeking to return from abroad as well as those with sufficient reason to travel outside the country.
The decision to suspend all international passenger flights was first made on March 17 and was planned to last for a week as the government began to take preventive measures to counter the spread of the coronavirus. However, it has been extended several times since.
Authorities state that any person re-entering the country needs to self-quarantine for 14 days, the incubation period for the virus. The two-week quarantine helps ensure that people who have been exposed to the disease and might yet come down with it do not infect others.
Iraqi officials previously threatened criminal prosecution of citizens not following health restrictions and they extended the nationwide partial shutdown until at least July 20.
Fadhil Fatlawi, a member of the federal Coronavirus Crisis Cell, emphasized that citizens should only be allowed to travel outside of Iraq for “necessary cases,” stressing that “such a decision must be studied thoroughly and carefully.”
“Cases of coronavirus in Iraq have risen after allowing the return of those stranded abroad,” Fatlawi claimed. He also warned of “a new disaster” should the government reduce travel restrictions “without applying the correct and strict health and preventive measures.”
The coronavirus has infected more than 13.1 million people worldwide and killed over 573,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities and underreporting.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany