ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's Ministry of Health on Sunday announced 542 new coronavirus cases, 17 deaths due to the disease, and 141 recoveries in a single day.

The health ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 4,104 tests in the past 24 hours, of which 542 came back positive. Of the new cases, 285 were in Erbil province, 81 in Sulaimani, 160 in Duhok, and 16 in Halabja.

According to official data, the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic has reached 17,039, which includes 648 deaths and 10,143 recoveries.

Cases Spike

On Sunday, health authorities in Duhok's Akre district said that medical facilities in the area had reached capacity. This comes as the number of active cases across the region continues to outpace recoveries, and two days after setting a new record.

Akre health directorate spokesperson Sabah Zaher said in a statement: "The number of infections in the district reached 167," and added that they have had to treat thirty patients while quarantined in their homes.

COVID-19 Measures Enforced

Erbil's coronavirus response center announced on Saturday the closure of over a hundred shops for lack of compliance with health guidelines, in effect to curb the spread of the disease.

"Over the past two days, the Health and Surveillance Committees closed 156 stores in Erbil province, for their failure to comply with health instructions and strict measures," the health body said in a statement.

At the same time, the mayor of Erbil district, Nabaz Abdul Hamid, stated that "imposing curfew at this point of the outbreak remains an option if the situation takes a turn for the worse."

He added that no measure is "off the table" if it means protecting the safety of the people of the Kurdistan Region.

As the number of cases continues to increase, health officials and professionals have repeatedly called on citizens to adhere to guidelines that limit the spread of the virus.

Shakhawan Khailani, the head of Emirates Hospital in Erbil, warned on Sunday that the infection rate "is going up," and stressed the public must follow regulations and protect themselves with masks and gloves at all times.