Erbil announces 41 new COVID-19 cases as lockdown is extended
“Today, we recorded 41 new cases of coronavirus in Erbil city [that] consists of 17 women, 15 men, and nine children of different ages,” a statement from the ministry of health read.
Two cases were recorded in the Soran district, three in the Sidakan district, one in the village of Halja Bchook, and the other 35 cases in nine neighborhoods across Erbil city center, the statement added.
According to the ministry, most of the newly infected cases were people in contact with others who attended a funeral gathering in Erbil’s Karizan neighborhood.
Two of the infected had previously traveled outside of the Kurdistan Region.
On Sunday, the Kurdistan Region’s Health Ministry announced 18 new coronavirus cases in the city of Erbil, all of whom were in contact with an infected individual at the funeral gathering in Karizan.
Elsewhere on Monday, the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Interior decided to extend a curfew until new decisions are made at a later time.
On Friday, the Interior Ministry announced a further tightening of the region-wide curfew. For a further 48 hours, traffic and pedestrian movement is completely banned. All shops and bakeries, previously open to serve local needs, are also closed.
The ministry announced in a statement that it is discussing proposals by governors and independent local administrations, and will issue a report outlining new instructions related to the ban, which was scheduled to end on Monday at noon.
The coronavirus has infected over 1.2 million people worldwide and killed more than 70,000, according to government-reported data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher due to insufficient testing capabilities or underreporting.
