Iraq lifts full COVID-19 lockdown after 2 days, imposing partial curfew

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq’s authorities on Thursday afternoon lifted the planned 10-day long lockdown put into effect in a bid to curb the rising coronavirus infections in the country, replacing it with a partial nightly curfew.

Iraqi health authorities had previously announced that the country would go into a full lockdown in the federal provinces from May 12 to May 22, including the closure of most businesses.

The lockdown, which included days covering the Muslim Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan Feast) holiday, angered the public as the measures would limit movement both for leisure and business.

The decision to lift the restrictions came after authorities in the southern province of Maysan asked for an exemption, leading to a public call to end the lockdown entirely. The Iraqi government then announced the end of the anti-coronavirus measure, saying only a nightly curfew will remain from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Dining places, cafes, massage parlors, and party halls will remain closed during the Eid holiday.

Iraq has recorded over one million coronavirus cases since the pandemic’s outbreak in early March 2020, with more than 15,000 people dying from the virus’s complications.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly