KRG reports 362 new COVID-19 cases, 582 recoveries in last 24 hours
Sulaimani province authorities warned of a "second wave" of COVID19 in the fall season.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Health on Saturday said it had recorded 362 new coronavirus cases and 582 recoveries over the past 24 hours.
The ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 4,235 tests across the region in 24 hours, of which 362 came back positive: 195 in Erbil province, 126 in Sulaimani, and 41 in Duhok.
The statement also mentioned there had been 25 fatalities due to the disease in the same period: 12 in Erbil, nine in Sulaimani, three in Dohuk, and one in Halabja.
The statement pointed out that the total number of infections across the Kurdistan Region since the outbreak is 27,621. Of the total, 17,386 patients have recovered, 1,032 have died, while 9,203 are still receiving treatment.
Tourism, Resumed
The Kurdistan Region's official Tourism Board announced on Friday that Erbil province, starting next Sunday, will reopen its doors to tourists entering from other parts of Iraq.
The body said in a brief statement, "According to a decision by Erbil's governor, Firsat Sofi, Erbil will open its checkpoints to receive tourists." It also permitted the conditional opening of businesses in tourist sites, provided they implement health regulations that demand strict preventive measures against the coronavirus.
This comes as Sulaimani province health authorities on Saturday noted a new increase in the rate of coronavirus infections at the provincial level.
New Uptick in Sulaimani
The head of the coronavirus-combating operation room in Sulaimani, Hersh Haider, told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday that the number of people infected with the virus in the province is increasing by the day "due to citizens' lack of commitment to health guidelines."
Health authorities have ruled that all citizens are required to wear masks and follow social distancing rules in public and that violators would receive a 20,000 IQD fine.
Haidar added that the virus is also spreading in rural communities, indicating that incoming patients from outside Sulaimani are heading to the city's hospitals, straining the capacity of its healthcare facilities.
The official also said that he feared a "second wave" of the virus would start in fall, which would create a "binary pressure" in hospitals due to season flu cases.
Editing by Khrush Najari