COVID-19: Iraq bans travel to 20 countries with new coronavirus strain

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced on Thursday that it was suspending international air travel to 20 countries where a new strain of coronavirus has been detected.

A statement specified that the nations included in the ban are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, the UK, the US, and Zambia.

The federal agency indicated that Iraqi citizens already in these countries could return home, but would be obligated to then be quarantined for a period of 14 days. After this, Iraqi authorities will still not allow them to have contact with others until coronavirus tests show the individuals have not been infected for a period of two weeks.

The measure will continue until the global and regional situation and regulations are clear regarding both the new strain as well as the original form of the virus that first spread across the globe in late 2019.

“The entry ban excludes diplomats, holders of diplomatic passports, official government delegations, workers in embassies and international organizations, and experts working on service projects, on condition that they tested through PCR examination within 72 hours before entering Iraq,” the statement explained.

On Wednesday, officials in the autonomous Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province announced that a person who had returned from the UK appears to be infected with the new variant of the highly-contagious disease.

Read More: COVID-19: Suspected new variant detected in Kurdistan Region

Editing by John J. Catherine