Erbil province's coronavirus crisis cell has revised lockdown measures to allow industrial areas in the north and south of the capital city to open, two days before a Kurdistan Region-wide lockdown is set to end. 

Their re-opening is subject to some time and documentation constraints, the Erbil Province Operations Room said on Saturday. 

"Both north and south industrial areas will be allowed to open from 8 am to 2 pm," read a statement from the Operations Room. "Mechanics and their assistants are allowed to go to work from 7 am to 8 am, and return home from 2 pm to 3 pm."

According to the lockdown revisions, "customers and mechanics working at both industrial areas should carry work permits" to be able to conduct business. 

Some businesses beyond the two industrial areas will have to wait for a decision on whether they will be able to resume business until April 21, when the Operations Room is set to meet to "make a decision about taxis, trade affairs and places which remain closed and are located within the Erbil 30 Meter ring road."

Tyre repair and oil change services outside the industrial areas were allowed to operate after April 16, when adjustments to a then month-long lockdown were made. 

But frustrated mechanics offering services deemed non-essential and vendors in other trades staged protests in Erbil and Duhok earlier today, calling on the government to allow them to reopen their garages and shops after a month of closures.

The cell did not specify whether the lockdown revision was in response to today's protests. 

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Middle Eastern and North African governments must "seize the opportunity" to combat the coronavirus while numbers of cases in the region are still relatively low, a WHO Eastern Mediterranean office director told AFP in an interview.

In the region at large, which for WHO stretches to Afghanistan, around 111,000 cases of the novel coronavirus have been recorded and more than 5,500 deaths - the vast majority of which have been recorded in Iran. 

That accounts for a small proportion of the more than two million cases and over 140,000 deaths declared worldwide from the pandemic.

The discrepancy could in part be down to the region's "youthful populations", WHO EMRO communicable diseases director Yvan Hutin said, referring to the heavier death toll from COVID-19 among the elderly.

Despite the optimism, Hutin warned of "the potential seriousness and ability of this virus to bring the healthcare system to its knees" if the region fails to take action. Middle East and North African governments must prepare "for the possibility of things going wrong". 

A multi-pronged approach to prevent numbers skyrocketing must include "community engagement, mobilising entire health systems and preparation of hospitals for the arrival of severe cases" and increased testing capacities, Hutin said. 

With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan starting next week, when people gather to break daytime fasts, WHO published a string of recommendations on Wednesday urging that social distancing be maintained.

"Cancelling social and religious gatherings should be seriously considered...If cancelling social and religious gatherings, where possible, virtual alternatives using platforms such as television, radio, digital, and social media can be used instead. If Ramadan gatherings are allowed to proceed, measures to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission should be implemented," according to the guidance document. 

Recommendations include maintaining physical distance of at least metre between people at all times, using greetings that avoid physical contact, and stopping large numbers of people from gathering at Ramadan-related activities. People at high-risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19, including the elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions, should be urged not to attend any group gathering, according to the guidance document. 

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Turkish health minister Fahrettin Koca announced 121 coronavirus-related deaths cases across Turkey in the past 24 hours, taking the total national death toll to 1,890.

With 3,783 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the last 24 hours, Turkey's case total so far has reached 82,329. 

So far, 10,453 people have recovered from the virus, the health minister added.

In a bid to increase treatment capacity in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul, a 1,000-bed hospital is under construction at Ataturk Airport, according to Turkish media outlet TRT World. 

Two more hospitals with a capacity of 1,000 beds each are being constructed in Istanbul on either side of the Bosphorus river, the outlet reported Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as saying on Thursday.

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Ten new recoveries from the COVID-19 virus have been recorded between the Kurdistan Region provinces of Sulaimani and Halabja, their respective health departments announced on Saturday night.

"Six more people who had been infected with the coronavirus in Sulaimani recovered and were sent back home," Sulaimani health department head Dr. Sabah Hawrami said. 

In a separate announcement, Halabja's Department of Health announced four new COVID-19 recoveries in the province. 

The vast majority of the Kurdistan Region's 337 total cases of the novel coronavirus have resulted in recovery. Sunday night's update brings the number of recoveries in the Region so far to 260.

There remain 73 active cases of the virus, and four deaths recorded to date.

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No new COVID-19 cases have been recorded anywhere in the Kurdistan Region in the last 24 hours, the regional government's health ministry announced on Saturday evening.

"In the past 24 hours, 1,172 tests were conducted, including 114 tests in Erbil, 390 in Sulaimani, 400 in Duhok, 56 in Raparin and 212 in Soran. No new case was recorded," read a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government's health ministry released on Saturday evening.

In another positive sign, the number of people in two-week quarantine across the Kurdistan Region continues to decline, the ministry's statement added. 

"Of 7,904 people who were put in quarantine across 30 different locations, there are now only 1,407 people remaining, including 530 in Erbil, 91 in Sulaimani, 757 in Duhok and 29 in Raparin."

To date, 337 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the Kurdistan Region. Four people have died after contracting the virus, and 250 have recovered.

There are currently 83 active COVID-19 cases, including 51 in Erbil province, 17 in Sulaimani, 12 in Halabja, and three in Duhok, according to Kurdistan Regional Government data last updated at 6:15 pm on Saturday. 

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Six recoveries from the COVID-19 virus have been recorded in Erbil in the last 24 hours, the province's health department announced on Saturday evening.

To date, 337 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the Kurdistan Region. Four people have died after contracting the virus, and 250 have recovered.

There are currently 83 active COVID-19 cases, including 51 in Erbil province, 17 in Sulaimani, 12 in Halabja, and three in Duhok, according to Kurdistan Regional Government data last updated at 6:15 pm on Saturday. 

By Zhelwan Z. Wali 
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Kurdistan Region residents stranded in the UK due to a coronavirus-related flight ban returned from London early on Saturday, according to an official from the Region's Department of Foreign Relations (DFR). 

Halgurd Salayi, head of DFR’s protocol section, told Rudaw that 170 residents of the Kurdistan Region’s four provinces returned from London in coordination with the Iraqi foreign ministry. 

This is not the first time Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repatriated its residents during the pandemic. 157 people stranded in Jordan returned to the Region on Wednesday, in addition to 118 travelers from Mosul and Kirkuk on Monday who had been in Saudi Arabia for the Umrah pilgrimage. Students in Turkey and Cyprus have also returned home.

“Our program will continue and we will return those students who are stuck in Turkey and Armenia,” said Salayi. “The priority is for those people who visited abroad on short-stay visa or are stuck there for treatment. They are followed by the students.” 

Those returning to the Kurdistan Region will be placed under a two-week quarantine before being allowed to return to their homes, according to the DFR official.

Iraq Civil Aviation Authority extended commercial flight ban to April 24 in the early hours of Saturday. Originally imposed on March 17, some flights have been allowed to leave Erbil International Airport to return foreign citizens to their home countries.

By Karwan Faidhi Dri   

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The nationwide ban on commercial passenger flights has been extended to April 24 as per instructions from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority. 

“Please be advised that following instructions received from the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority, airports throughout Iraq, including Erbil, will remain closed to commercial passenger flights until April 24th,” read a statement from Erbil International Airport (EIA) in the early hours of Saturday. 

Sulaimani International Airport shared a similar statement on its Facebook page. 

As part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority banned commercial passenger flights on March 17. 

Iraq recorded 48 new cases of the virus and one death on Friday, bringing the total number of cases in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to 1,482, including 81 deaths and 906 recoveries.

By Karwan Faidhi Dri 

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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 

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