Kurdistan Region provinces nix Eid al-Fitr lockdown following KRG delegation of authority

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil will not have a full lockdown during the Ramadan feast of Eid al-Fitr following a statement from the interior ministry authorizing local governors to decide on COVID-19 measures during the holiday.

In late April, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior said it would impose a sweeping lockdown for three days during the Ramadan feast, expected to be start next Wednesday.

But the ministry on Thursday night reversed its own decision, saying that the authority to decide on such measures would be delegated to the Region’s provinces. Following the announcement, officials in Erbil said that the province will not have a full lockdown during the feast.

“Traffic of citizens during the Ramadan feast will be normal, sticking to the health measures,” a statement from the province read.

Travel between the Kurdish capital city and Iraq's federal provinces will remain banned, the province said.

In addition, Muslims can perform prayers in the city’s mosques, according to the capital’s COVID-19 task force, which stressed that they must be in line with health measures, including social distancing and the wearing of masks.

A spokesperson for the COVID-19 task force in Duhok said there would be no lockdown in the province over the holiday. There will be no lockdown in Sulaimani province either, according to a statement from local authorities.

During Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Ramadan month, Muslims typically celebrate with prayers and social gatherings.

The Kurdistan Region has so far recorded more than 154,000 coronavirus infections and 4,000 deaths since the pandemic’s outbreak in March 2020.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly