Curfew imposed in Iraq's Kurdish region over COVID-19

By Ali Jawad and Adnan al-Hussein

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) - Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Friday announced a two-day curfew following eight deaths from the novel coronavirus in Iraq.

KRG's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the curfew will take effect from midnight and will continue for two days in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah cities.

Thorough cleaning will be carried out in the cities and health checks will be performed in some districts during the curfew.

The KRG administration announced that all kinds of public meetings, including Friday prayer sermons, were suspended in mosques and churches in Erbil, Duhok, Sulaymaniyah and Halabja until a further notice.

The KRG authorities confirmed earlier Friday nine fresh coronavirus cases, bringing the total infections across Iraq to 92, including eight deaths, and 24 recoveries.

On Feb. 24, Iraq reported its first coronavirus case, and its first death from the virus on March 4.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 123 countries and territories.

The global death toll is now nearly 5,000, with more than 132,500 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization, which declared the outbreak a pandemic.