Kurdistan bans movement with the rest of Iraq three days a week, halts government work on Thursdays

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Supreme Committee to Combat Coronavirus announced the suspension of government departments and institutions on Thursdays, and the stopping of movement with the rest of Iraq’s provinces three days a week, in an attempt to reduce the spread of the second wave of the pandemic.

Minister of Health Saman Barznji said in a press conference in Erbil that the committee had made the decisions in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reduce infections and deaths, especially after the region witnessed a significant increase in the rate of spread of the virus during the past two weeks.

According to the minister, the committee decided to close public and non-governmental schools and universities until Apr. 10, after the end-of-term exams.

Barznji said that school and university classes will continue online, also pointing out that the committee decided to ban all gatherings and conferences, while all event halls, parties, theaters will continue to be closed until further notice.

Regarding checkpoints with the rest of Iraq, the minister said, "checkpoints and movement between the region and other provinces will be closed on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except for commercial traffic."

He also noted the closure of all cafeterias and restaurants from nine in the evening until six in the morning, and confirmed the continuation of COVID-19 testing for all those who return to the Region.

The minister said that those decisions would be implemented starting from Wednesday.

According to the health ministry, the Kurdistan Region recorded 860 new infections with coronavirus and seven deaths due to the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 121,179, including 3660 deaths, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly