ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sunday decided to temporarily decrease working hours in public offices as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases rises in other parts of Iraq.

KRG spokesperson Jotyar Adil said in a statement that working hours in government offices would decrease from 7 hours, starting at 08:00 am, to five hours. The decision is effective immediately until March 10, Adil added.

The KRG also called on the public to limit their visits to government offices for the time being, unless their case is urgent.

This marks the latest measure the KRG has taken to prevent a potential outbreak of the infectious disease that has spread across much of the world. The Kurdistan Region has recorded zero cases so far.

On Saturday, Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment announced that it had confirmed five additional people had contracted the coronavirus, bringing the total known number of nationwide infections to 13.

The KRG has taken a series of precautionary measures on its borders and airports to prevent the coronavirus from entering the Kurdistan Region. These steps include a temporary ban on nationals of several countries, including China, Iran, Singapore, Italy, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea, from visiting the region.