COVID-19: Kurdistan’s daily infections rate increases to over 300 cases, 13 deaths
Out of 1,679 tests conducted by health workers over a 24-hour period, 311 came back positive, according to a ministry statement. Of the total, 198 were in Sulaimani province, which is now the epicenter of the outbreak in the Kurdistan Region. There were also 13 new deaths, 12 of which were in Sulaimani.
Only 57 patients recovered from the disease in the past day, per the official data. There is now a total of 5,185 coronavirus infections across the autonomous region, including about 3,423 active cases and just under 1,600 recoveries.
The statement also said that 162 people in total have died from the disease.
On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region’s interior ministry issued an order that authorized provinces to enact complete or partial local curfews, as well as a series of other measures to curb the further spread of the virus.
Erbil, Sulaimani Announce Limited Shutdown
A day later, Erbil authorities announced that all government offices, entertainment venues, shops, restaurants, and places of worship are to be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., starting Saturday and lasting at least until July 3. The order is expected to exclude public facilities operating under the health and interior ministries.
During the same period, there will also be a curfew in effect, with only essential traffic allowed from nighttime until early morning.
In Sulaimani, the coronavirus crisis center, which the KRG calls a provincial "operation room,” ordered all vehicular travel banned in the downtown area of the city, with only pedestrian movement permitted.
“In the coming days, the number of deaths is going to increase, if you do not protect yourselves,” Abdullah Ahmed, deputy head of the Sulaimani health directorate, warned on Thursday. He also called on the public to be cautious, when they go outside and interact with others.
“Gloves and masks are easier to come by than blood plasma,” he pleaded.
Since late May, the number of cases has risen dramatically throughout Iraq, as the nation reopened its domestic economy, as well as some border crossings with neighboring Iran—from where the infection spread into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Earlier on Friday, the federal government in Baghdad announced over 2000 new infections and 100 fatalities.
The coronavirus has infected more than 9.5 million people worldwide and killed over 490,000 according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The actual figures could be dramatically higher, due to insufficient testing capabilities and underreporting.
