Erbil airport denies 3 Chinese nationals entry in coronavirus scare: official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil International Airport (EIA) on Saturday denied three Chinese nationals entry to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq under government measures to prevent an outbreak of coronavirus. The three travelers were forced to return to the UAE.
Rizgar Farzanda, EIA’s head of passport control, told Rudaw his staff “returned three Chinese nationals at the airport to the UAE in order to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus”.
Another Chinese national will be repatriated on Saturday evening, he added.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s interior ministry announced late on Friday it is banning “the issuance of electronic visas to and the entrance of Chinese tourists though the Kurdistan Region’s border crossings for 30 days”.
It also banned foreigners who have visited China since January 14.
“Those Iraqi citizens returning from China though Kurdistan Region’s border crossings must be separated at the border crossings and be inspected well by the Ministry of Health’s medical teams in order to be sure that they are not infected with coronavirus,” it added.
The ministry urged Kurdistan Region residents to postpone any planned trips to China until further notice.
Coronavirus is a respiratory disease with various levels of severity which can be fatal for vulnerable people like the elderly. Its symptoms include a high temperature, coughing, a sore throat, and headaches.
Emerging in Wuhan at the end of last year, the virus has swiftly spread to all Chinese provinces. Cases have now also been confirmed in Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.
It has killed more than 200 people in China and affected at least 10,000 people worldwide, according to Reuters.
Iraq’s government media cell announced late Friday that no Iraqi citizens have been infected with coronavirus.
Iraq’s Higher Ministerial Committee met on Friday to discuss the global outbreak of the virus, which has forced the Chinese government to place Wuhan on lockdown. Relevant authorities and experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) also attended the meeting, according to a statement from the media cell.
“We reassure citizens that no cases have been recorded among Iraqis in China or in any other country. No cases have been recorded inside Iraq either,” read the statement published by Iraqi Ministry of Health spokesperson Saif al-Badr on Facebook.
“The committee recommended taking all health measures to ensure the safety of all those coming to Iraq from China directly or indirectly and through border crossings,” the statement added.
The WHO declared a global health emergency on Thursday, triggering a worldwide tightening of travel restrictions.