Kurdistan health ministry: No COVID-19 curfew planned for Kurdistan Region, changes will be announced

Mustafa Shilani 2021/02/20 12:30

Health authorities have confirmed that infections with the new British strain have been recorded in several Iraqi provinces. (Photo: AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s health ministry on Saturday denied reports that a curfew is to be imposed in the Region due to the high number of COVID-19 infections.

The Ministry of Health said it is studying three options to respond to the high number of coronavirus infections in the Region’s provinces but did not elaborate on the potential measures.

"We want to clarify this to citizens and the public opinion that no such statement has been made, and there is no curfew decision at present," health ministry spokesperson Aso Hawezi said in a statement.

He continued, “Any action or decision that will be taken will be officially announced by the ministry's spokesperson” and published on official social media accounts.

The announcement comes after media reports that Health Minister Saman Barznji will soon announce a local curfew.

On Friday, Iraq reported a sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases with more than 4,000 confirmed in 24 hours. The rapid increase comes after federal health authorities confirmed that a new strain of the virus is present in many Iraqi provinces.

The new strain, first discovered in the United Kingdom, entered Iraq last week and has spread among both adults and children, according to health authorities.

Saif al-Badr, a spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Health, told Kurdistan 24 that half of the rate of infections recorded in the country are of the mutated type. He gave no further details.

A curfew was imposed throughout Iraq, except for the Kurdistan Region, on Friday in response to the increasing number of infections. Health officials say that cases of COVID-19 are close to levels recorded over the summer.

The highest daily number of recorded infections in Iraq was 5,000 last year.

The curfew comes ahead of a scheduled visit by Pope Francis at the beginning of March, a trip that faces additional challenges now with the pandemic’s rise.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly