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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Mechanics and vendors staged protests on Saturday against the continuing lockdown across the Kurdistan Region, calling on the government to allow them to reopen their garages and shops after a month of closures.
Workers in Erbil and Duhok said the lockdown, implemented to stem the spread of COVID-19, is impacting their ability to provide for their families.
“We are poor and we have come here to make an income for our family,” one mechanic in Duhok told Rudaw on Saturday.
Mechanics in the area were allowed to reopen their workshops in the last few days without problems, he said, but were prevented from doing so today.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s interior ministry introduced a lockdown on March 14 to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, later extending it several times. The lockdown in its current version is set to last until April 23.
A “complete lockdown” is in place across the Region from 6 pm to midnight daily, but new measures allow local councils to decide which businesses can reopen for the remainder of the day.
Sulaimani and Halabja provinces have allowed premises in industrial zones, including mechanic garages, to reopen. But Erbil and Duhok have only allowed some garages providing emergency services such as oil changes and tyre repairs to resume business.
Mechanics from Erbil’s northern industrial area also gathered near their garages to call on the KRG to allow them to reopen.
Another protesting mechanic in Duhok said the lockdown measures should either be applied to all mechanics, or none.
He said he is under pressure from his landlord to pay rent for his garage, despite having had to shut up shop for weeks.
“How can I make money if I don't come to work?” he asked.
Other business owners also protested the lockdown measures, with a group of vendors gathering near their workplaces in downtown Erbil and at the governor’s office to ask that they be allowed to reopen their doors.
“We want the government to hear us out. We are all poor shopkeepers,” said one vendor, adding that he has lost $10,000-$15,000 due to the lockdown.
Amid the increased financial pressure on small business owners, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani called early on in the lockdown for commercial landlords to reduce rents. The KRG itself has not provided any financial support to the public, but some charitable organizations have distributed essentials to thousands of in-need families.
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