17-04-2020
21:53
Iraq confirms 48 new COVID-19 cases, 1 death
An Iraqi man sells coffee on Baghdad’s deserted al-Mutanabbi street, April 17, 2020. Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye / AFP
Iraqi authorities recorded 48 new COVID-19 cases and one death on Friday, according to the health ministry.
Seventeen cases were documented in Basra, 14 in Najaf, 14 in Baghdad, two in Sulaimani, and one in Karbala.
One death was recorded in Basra.
Fifty people have recovered, including 21 in Najaf, 18 in Baghdad, four in Dhi Qar, two in Basra, two in Kirkuk, two in Karbala, and one in Sulaimani.
Friday’s figures bring the total number of cases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to 1,482. Of these, 81 have died and 906 have recovered.
By Lawk Ghafuri
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20:15
Turkey confirms 126 COVID-19 deaths in past 24 hours
People wearing facemasks walk around a market in Istanbul, Turkey, April 17, 2020. Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP
Turkish health authorities on Friday reported 126 new COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 1,769.
Another 4,353 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Friday, bringing total infections to 78,546, health minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet.
Koca said 1,542 people have recovered in the past 24 hours, bringing total recoveries to 8,631.
Health authorities have carried out 558,413 tests since the pandemic began.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, 1,845 patients are receiving treatment in intensive care units.
By Lawk Ghafuri
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16:35
Iran’s official COVID-19 death toll falls for 6th consecutive day
An Iranian doctor produces COVID-19 testing kits at a medical center in Karaj, Iran, April 11, 2020. Photo: Atta Kenare / AFP
Iranian authorities recorded 89 more COVID-19 deaths on Friday, bringing the death toll to 4,958. This is the sixth consecutive day that Iran’s official death toll has fallen.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said there were 1,499 new infections confirmed over the past 24 hours, bringing the official total to 79,494.
Jahanpour said 54,064 people have recovered.
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11:51
Local authorities ease lockdown in Kurdistan Region
Man cleans path infront of closed shops near the Erbil citadel. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/ Rudaw
Provinces in the Kurdistan Region have allowed a number of businesses to reopen amid the COVID-19 lockdown, including barber shops, taxi services, and those in industrial zones. However, the rules and businesses reopened vary from one province to another.
Introduced in mid-March, the lockdown was extended to April 23 by the Kurdistan Regional Government's interior ministry on Thursday.
The ministry said in a statement that a "complete lockdown" would remain from 6pm to midnight for the remaining days of the lockdown, but each province is given the authority to decide whether to reopen some businesses from midnight to 6pm.
In separate statements, each province announced that they would continue allowing businesses that have been operating during the lockdown, such as restaurant food delivery, and other goods, farming, bakeries and markets.
The Erbil provincial government has now allowed nut and sweets shops to launch delivery services similar to restaurants, as long as their physical shops remain closed to the public.
Barber shops in Erbil can also reopen during the daylight hours, but only four customers are allowed to enter the shop at a time.
The province will not reopen its industrial zone presently, according to the statement. However, it will also allow emergency car servicing stations, including ones that change oil and tires, to reopen on Sunday and Wednesday.
The Duhok provincial government will also allow barbers to reopen, but only two customers are allowed in the shop at a time, and they must wear face masks and latex gloves.
Printing houses, and other industrial businesses, are allowed to operate from midnight to midday in Duhok province.
Sulaimani provincial authorities have also allowed the reopening of a number of businesses during the daytime, including factories, those in the industrial zone, printing houses, electronic and electrical shops, furniture shops, among others.
The province reopened some businesses over the last few days, including barbers, but others like pharmacies, restaurants, sweets shops remain closed.
Halabja is the only province in which taxi services have been allowed to recommence, but additional preventative measures are to be decided on by local mayors.
The province has also allowed for the reopening of its industrial zone, clothing shops, electronic and electrical shops, and dry food shops from 6am to 2pm.
Areas prone to social proximity such as the downtowns of cities remain closed in the Kurdistan Region, and travel between cities and provinces remains banned.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
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Introduced in mid-March, the lockdown was extended to April 23 by the Kurdistan Regional Government's interior ministry on Thursday.
The ministry said in a statement that a "complete lockdown" would remain from 6pm to midnight for the remaining days of the lockdown, but each province is given the authority to decide whether to reopen some businesses from midnight to 6pm.
In separate statements, each province announced that they would continue allowing businesses that have been operating during the lockdown, such as restaurant food delivery, and other goods, farming, bakeries and markets.
The Erbil provincial government has now allowed nut and sweets shops to launch delivery services similar to restaurants, as long as their physical shops remain closed to the public.
Barber shops in Erbil can also reopen during the daylight hours, but only four customers are allowed to enter the shop at a time.
The province will not reopen its industrial zone presently, according to the statement. However, it will also allow emergency car servicing stations, including ones that change oil and tires, to reopen on Sunday and Wednesday.
The Duhok provincial government will also allow barbers to reopen, but only two customers are allowed in the shop at a time, and they must wear face masks and latex gloves.
Printing houses, and other industrial businesses, are allowed to operate from midnight to midday in Duhok province.
Sulaimani provincial authorities have also allowed the reopening of a number of businesses during the daytime, including factories, those in the industrial zone, printing houses, electronic and electrical shops, furniture shops, among others.
The province reopened some businesses over the last few days, including barbers, but others like pharmacies, restaurants, sweets shops remain closed.
Halabja is the only province in which taxi services have been allowed to recommence, but additional preventative measures are to be decided on by local mayors.
The province has also allowed for the reopening of its industrial zone, clothing shops, electronic and electrical shops, and dry food shops from 6am to 2pm.
Areas prone to social proximity such as the downtowns of cities remain closed in the Kurdistan Region, and travel between cities and provinces remains banned.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
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10:00
Kurdistan Region's COVID-19 recoveries to be retested: health minister
Testing being conducted at Erbil's Peshmerga hospital. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/ Rudaw
Those in the Kurdistan Region who have been found to have recovered from COVID-19 will be retested to see if they test positive for the virus a second time, said Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health minister Saman Barzanji at a press conference late Thursday.
"Those people who were infected with the virus before but now have recovered will be retested," he said, adding that the decision was made after news of people in other countries testing positive for the virus a second time after being declared recovered.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating reports in South Korea that some COVID-19 patients are testing positive a second time, after being declared to have recovered and first testing negative.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the press that patients may have “reactivated” rather than have been infected with the virus a second time, according to Reuters.
The Kurdistan Region has confirmed 337 cases of coronavirus, 227 of which have recovered and four others have died.
The Region is experiencing an economic slowdown due to the measures it has imposed to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. Moreover, it depends heavily on oil revenues, which have sharply fallen due to a dramatic drop in the price of oil, as well as demand.
The Iraqi government has sent 3.5 billion Iraqi dinar (nearly $3 million) to three of Kurdistan Region's provinces, Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimani, but excluded its newest province of Halabja.
"Following our recent visit to Baghdad ... the Iraqi government has sent a billion dinar [$840 thousand] for each of the provinces of Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaimani. An additional 500 million dinar [$420 thousand] has been dedicated for the [health] ministry to buy preventive needs," said Barzanji at the same press conference.
He added that Kurdish prime minister Masrour Barzani has decided to dedicate the health ministry's $420 thousand to Halabja province, as well as the independent administrations of Garmiyan and Raparin.
The KRG received medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier in the day on Thursday, according to Barzanji, who clarified that the organization did not send any financial aid.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
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"Those people who were infected with the virus before but now have recovered will be retested," he said, adding that the decision was made after news of people in other countries testing positive for the virus a second time after being declared recovered.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating reports in South Korea that some COVID-19 patients are testing positive a second time, after being declared to have recovered and first testing negative.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the press that patients may have “reactivated” rather than have been infected with the virus a second time, according to Reuters.
The Kurdistan Region has confirmed 337 cases of coronavirus, 227 of which have recovered and four others have died.
The Region is experiencing an economic slowdown due to the measures it has imposed to quell the spread of the novel coronavirus. Moreover, it depends heavily on oil revenues, which have sharply fallen due to a dramatic drop in the price of oil, as well as demand.
The Iraqi government has sent 3.5 billion Iraqi dinar (nearly $3 million) to three of Kurdistan Region's provinces, Erbil, Duhok and Sulaimani, but excluded its newest province of Halabja.
"Following our recent visit to Baghdad ... the Iraqi government has sent a billion dinar [$840 thousand] for each of the provinces of Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaimani. An additional 500 million dinar [$420 thousand] has been dedicated for the [health] ministry to buy preventive needs," said Barzanji at the same press conference.
He added that Kurdish prime minister Masrour Barzani has decided to dedicate the health ministry's $420 thousand to Halabja province, as well as the independent administrations of Garmiyan and Raparin.
The KRG received medical supplies from the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier in the day on Thursday, according to Barzanji, who clarified that the organization did not send any financial aid.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
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08:29
April 17: Latest COVID-19 updates from the Kurdistan Region and beyond
A child sits on a couch found in a street, ravaged by pro-regime forces air strikes, in the town of Ariha in the southern countryside of the Idlib province on April 11, 2020. Photo: Aaref Watad/ AFP
How are you coping under the lockdown? Send your comments and photos to our Facebook and Twitter pages.
The Kurdistan Regional Government advises anyone in the Kurdistan Region displaying coronavirus symptoms to call its emergency hotline on 122. This service is available in Kurdish and Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found on the government’s website.
Catch up on past updates here Continue Reading
The Kurdistan Regional Government advises anyone in the Kurdistan Region displaying coronavirus symptoms to call its emergency hotline on 122. This service is available in Kurdish and Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found on the government’s website.
Catch up on past updates here Continue Reading