First coronavirus fatality in Iraq as elderly cleric dies in Sulaimani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A 70-year-old man has died from coronavirus in Sulaimani just hours after it was announced he had contracted the disease.

The death is the first coronavirus fatality across Iraq, which has 32 confirmed cases of the virus. 

Ako Hassan, head of the Sulaimani Endowment Department identified the victim as Mullah Rashid Abdulrahman, a preacher at Khanaqa Mahmwi mosque in downtown Sulaimani.

The preacher had not recently visited Iran, he added. 

Sulaimani’s Health Directorate confirmed the news on Wednesday morning, adding that his health was “unstable”.

Abdulrahman was under “intense medical care,” according to directorate spokesperson Dr Yad Naqishbandi.

 A fatwa committee will now meet to discuss the potential closure of mosques, Hassan added. 

"Until a few days ago, the preacher had gone to the mosque. Thus, we must take very serious measures at the mosque," Hassan noted.

Mullah Abdulla Saeed, head of the Kurdistan Union of Islamic Scholars has announced that all Friday prayers will be cancelled for one week across mosques in Sulaimani city.  

The Kurdistan Region has taken strict measures to avoid the spread of the virus closing down schools and reducing working hours across government institutions.

Kurdish and Iraqi authorities have also closed their borders with Iran and canceled direct flights serving Iranian cities. Iraqi citizens returning from Iran must undergo 14 days in quarantine.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. It has since spread to at least 56 countries and territories and has infected at least 90,893 people worldwide, killing 3,110.

While the rate of infection has slowed in China, other global hotspots are struggling to contain its spread.

Particular hotspots outside China include South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Italy.

This is a developing story...

Updated 2.19pm