Airports in Iraq’s Kurdish region to reopen on Aug. 1

By Idiris Okuduci and Hawkar Yaseen

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq announced Wednesday that airports, which have been closed to all flights since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be reopened on Aug. 1.

KRG’s Interior Ministry has instructed the authorities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports to complete preparations to resume domestic and international flights, KRG's Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed Khalid told reporters.

Iraq recorded a total of 97,159 infections and 3,950 fatalities so far, according to the country’s health ministry.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19 has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The pandemic has killed more than 616,700 people worldwide, with over 14.9 million confirmed cases, while recoveries have surpassed 8.4 million, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University of the US.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz