Coronavirus rumors and misinformation leave Erbil public scared and confused

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Rumors and mixed messages about the coronavirus spread on social media and by word of mouth have left Erbil residents frightened and confused, undermining measures to prevent an outbreak in the Kurdistan Region. 

Even though coronavirus is spread through person to person contact and can be transmitted rapidly in crowded urban spaces, Erbil’s downtown bazaar was packed with shoppers and traders on Saturday evening.

“Until yesterday, I had been wearing masks, but today I decided to remove and no longer use it,” Sheed Mohammed Amin, 76, told Rudaw English while out shopping in the bazaar.

“They are all fakes and I hear from people that masks being sold in this country cannot prevent the virus, so why should I use it?” he said.

“One day the government says use masks, the other day doctors say do not do it. Some people on the streets say use it. Others say no need to use. At home, your wife begs you to put it on, but your children say there’s no need,” Amin said with a shrug. 

“I am no longer panicked.”

Demand for masks and latex gloves has skyrocketed in the Kurdistan Region in recent days. Authorities closed down 18 pharmacies in Erbil earlier this week after their owners raised the price of surgical masks to cash in on the panic. 

“The use of mask is completely unnecessary right now,” Pulmonologist Dr. Rebaz Hamza Kamaran Qaradaghi told Rudaw this week. “It is indeed a big lie that people are panicked into thinking they must wear masks.”

According to regulations set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), only those who have caught the virus and doctors treating them will benefit from wearing masks.

“Masks are effective only when used in combination with frequent hand-cleaning with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water,” according to the WHO.

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. The virus has since spread to more than 30 countries and has infected at least 80,000 people. Particular hotspots outside China include South Korea, Japan, Iran, and Italy.

Iraq has so far recorded 13 cases of the virus – one case in Najaf, one in Babil, six in Baghdad, and another five in Kirkuk, according to the latest figure from the Iraqi health ministry. All of them had recently returned from Iran – the epicenter of the Middle East outbreak.

There are currently no recorded cases in the Kurdistan Region.

It seems a lot of the misinformation spreading in Erbil is coming from social media – often an unreliable source. Dilshad Kochar, 29, who sells mobile phone cases in the Erbil bazaar, said the public has been left “ignorant”.

“Now it turns out that social media is full of lies,” he said. “Look, in the last few days, every pharmacy was packed with people buying masks. Now you show me how many people use masks. You will barely find anyone.”

“I read on social media a list of nutritional items needed to strengthen the immune system such as apples, lemons, and oranges,” Kochar said.

“But then yesterday, I came across a friend who had seen a doctor. The doctor had advised him not to eat anything that contains sugar, even fruits and vegetables including apples and lemons and other stuff. You tell me, what should I do?” he added with exasperation.

Water, milk, onions, garlic, eggs, oranges, tangerines, lemons, apples, broccoli, and cucumbers are “the enemies of coronavirus and friends of the body and a good health,” nutritionist Dr. Shara Bakhtyar told Rudaw earlier this week.

“Such foods are not used to treat the disease, but to help avoid it. By using them, we can strengthen our immune system,” Bakhtyar said. “Avoid stress. When you are stressed, your immune system’s defenses lower.” 

The advice of medical professionals does not seem to be filtering through to the public, however. 

“One thing that makes me happy is that I have heard that smoking is good,” Kochar said confidentially.

In reality, smoking can make the respiratory system even more vulnerable to the coronavirus, as it weakens the body’s natural defenses. 

Lung disease experts warn smokers could be at a higher risk of developing complications if they catch coronavirus. 

Erbil’s Shar Park was also bustling on Saturday evening with families enjoying the early spring sunshine.

Sitting on a concrete bench, Hazhar Ali, 38 and from Duhok, says he doesn’t follow the news about coronavirus, believing it is no different from regular seasonal flu.

“I do not care about corona. I am not afraid of it and not ready to use mask or some stupid self-protection measures like not sitting or standing or walking in the crowd. Look how busy here is. Is there anything wrong with it?” Ali said.

“Thousands of people die in car accidents, by normal death and due to illness every day. Why is everyone just talking about coronavirus?” 

The mass hysteria surrounding the virus has thrown up all manner of strange theories.

“I have heard women are stronger compared to men against corona,” laughed Pervin Shamsaddin, 33, holding hands with her seven-year-old son. 

“I have also heard that children under 12 have not died at all of corona. Therefore we are no longer afraid and decided to come out to the bazaar today to buy some home essentials.”

Shamsaddin, a government employee, says she is no longer afraid of the virus because the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken strong measures to prevent an outbreak. 

“It had been two to three weeks that my husband has not let us out to the bazaar and other crowded places. He too has changed his mind, that nothing bad will happen because the KRG is doing a great job, as we know they have taken strict and tough measures against this ugly epidemic,” she added.

Around 1,850 people who recently entered the Kurdistan Region from neighboring countries are currently in quarantine as part of the Region’s measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s neighbor Iran has seen one of the world’s most serious outbreaks.

As of Saturday, 43 Iranians have died and 593 more have tested positive for the virus, including at least four high ranking officials, according to Iran’s health ministry. 

Not everyone is getting complacent about a potential outbreak in Erbil. Aiman Salam, 15, said safety measures “should not be taken for granted” and precautions should be respected. 

“It is strange that the bazaar is as crowded as it was a month, two months, or three months ago. I know it has not yet reached Kurdistan. But when it does, we will all wish we had taken precautions. This virus is killing people of all ages,” he said.

In more extreme cases, deliberate disinformation has been spread about the virus to push agendas. Mullah Abdullatif Salafi, a prominent cleric in the Kurdistan Region, has even argued coronavirus was sent by god to “punish” the Chinese government for oppressing the country’s Muslim Uyghurs. 

“God has sent one of his soldiers that could be seen only under a microscope to a giant oppressing country like China,” Salafi told Rudaw earlier this week.

“This virus has shaken the entire country. Whoever is sneezing there, the other person says it brings death. They used to bully Islam’s niqab. Now they all, including their men, wear niqab,” Salafi said. 

The WHO has urged the KRG and governments worldwide to provide the public and community leaders with detailed and accurate information about the virus and how to prevent contagion.

Such official awareness campaigns can help undercut rumors, misinformation, and disinformation about coronavirus and ease public anxiety. 

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