Iraq intends to lift all COVID-19 restrictions

A process is underway to lift the remaining restrictions in the coming days

Mustafa Shilani 2022/05/07 10:06

Police officers stop vehicles at a checkpoint in the Karrada district of Iraq's capital Baghdad on March 14, 2021, as they enforce a total curfew imposed to curb COVID-19 coronavirus cases. (AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi health authorities stated that they intend to lift all COVID-19 restrictions in the next few days.

The decision came after the rate of inflection in Iraq began hovering below 100 in the statistics of the Ministry of Health.

The official Iraqi News Agency quoted the Director-General of Public Health, Riyadh Abdul Amir, as saying that the remaining restrictions related to the pandemic are "very small."

He indicated that a process is underway to lift the remaining restrictions in the coming days, and that a full opening will be announced in an upcoming National Health and Safety Committee meeting.

On Friday, Iraq recorded 70 new infections and one death in 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections since the beginning of the pandemic in Iraq to 2,325,467, with 25,213 deaths.

The coronavirus has infected more than 516.6 million people worldwide and killed over six million, according to Johns Hopkins University’s database. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.