KRG coronavirus committee extends ban on travel between provinces
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The High-Level Committee of the Kurdistan Region on Combatting Coronavirus, headed by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, convened on Monday and issued several decisions aimed at containing the spread of the highly contagious disease in the autonomous region.
The meeting was held by videoconference and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani and the relevant cabinet ministers and department heads. The participants reviewed the current state of the pandemic in the Kurdistan Region, as well as the public health guidelines that have been issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG.)
Minister of Health Saman Barzinji presented a report on the latest numbers of infections, fatalities, and recovered patients. He explained that the recent surge in infections was due to a failure to comply with the safety measures that have been issued by public health authorities, the Prime Minister’s press office reported.
The Ministers of Interior and Transport and Communication, as well as the Head of the Foreign Relations Department, similarly detailed the extent of public compliance with government guidelines.
Prime Minister Barzani emphasized the danger posed by the virus spreading further in the Kurdistan Region. He noted that the number of infections and fatalities is, unfortunately, increasing steadily, due to the lack of compliance with health guidelines, as well as the politicization of the pandemic.
The prime minister called on the public to comply with the guidelines in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The Committee on Combatting the Coronavirus also decided that the Ministries of Health and Interior should continue their task of issuing health and safety guidelines to fight the pandemic. That includes the imposition of a requirement to wear masks and gloves, as well as a warning to avoid crowds in public places, including government offices.
The ministries will also follow up on previous decisions issued by the Council of Ministers, including the direction to hold violators accountable, according to the law.
The Committee also decided to extend the travel ban between cities and provinces, as well as keep in effect the current closure of public places, the press release explained.
Commercial airplane flights will remain suspended until July 22, and the decision to resume them, when it is made, will occur in coordination with the federal government and in line with health guidelines.
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The Ministry of Culture and the Department of Media and Information have been tasked to redouble their efforts to inform the public about the dangers of the virus, while stressing the need for them to adhere to the health guidelines, in cooperation with media outlets in the Kurdistan Region.
The KRG’s Ministry of Health has confirmed 5,751 active cases of coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region with 326 deaths, and 3,378 other people who have recovered from the infection.
Editing by Laurie Mylroie