Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a four-day lockdown from Thursday in Istanbul and 30 other major cities as part of measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"We are planning to implement confinement between April 23-26 in 31 cities," Erdogan said Monday in a televised address to the nation.

Turkey has so far applied a 48-hour lockdown in 31 cities over the last two weekends but the country of 83 million has stopped short of declaring a  long-term nationwide lockdown.  

April 23 is already a public holiday in Turkey as it marks the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish parliament.

Turkey on Monday announced 123 new coronavirus deaths, pushing the official death toll to 2,140. The number of cases has reached nearly 91,000.

Turkey has already shut schools, banned mass gatherings and ordered confinement for people aged over 65 or under 20.

Erdogan sounded upbeat, saying Turks had largely followed the rules and "we averted the pandemic from reaching a catastrophic level."

However, there have been violations - especially in several Istanbul neighbourhoods - where locals were filmed ignoring social distancing in public spaces, including open bazaars. 

"Our goal is to implement the measures in the most rigorous way and reduce them to a normal level at the end of the Eid al-Fitr," the Turkish leader said, referring to the Muslim feast marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

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The Duhok Health Department declared the province coronavirus free after the three remaining active cases were found to have recovered on Monday. All 15 coronavirus in the province have been discharged from hospital.

"There is still danger from coronavirus in Duhok province. Therefore, people should continue social distancing," Nizar Ismat, head of the Duhok Health Department said in an announcement. 

"We will continue to conduct tests. There is no guarantee that a new case won't be recorded in the province," Ismat added.

Sulaimani province's Chamchamal district also announced its remaining four COVID-19 cases to be recovered.

The number of active COVID-19 cases has plummetted to 46 in the Kurdistan Region, with the seven new recoveries.

These latest numbers bring the Region's tally of recoveries to 287.

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A local official in Kirkuk confirmed to Rudaw that the existing lockdown to help curb coronavirus in the city will be partially eased during the daytime from Tuesday onwards as part of a nationwide campaign to edge the country back into normal life.

A curfew was first declared in Kirkuk on March 17. Additional measures were put in place in the following days. 

These new measures will take effect from Tuesday, according to Dilan Ghafur, member of the Kirkuk Crises Cell and an MP in Baghdad.

Ghafur added the curfew will continue from 6pm to 6am until May 22.

From Sunday, government institutions will be opened in the disputed province, running only at 25 percent capacity, according to Ghafur.

Lockdown restrictions across Iraq including Kirkuk have been eased as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, according to a statement from the media office of caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

Shops and factories are allowed to open until 6pm, and restaurants will be allowed to operate delivery services. 

Schools, universities, cafes, malls and wedding halls will remain closed in the province, as is the case across the country.

Of a total of 31 cases so far recorded in Kirkuk province, 20 have recovered and two have died from virus-related issues. Only nine active cases remain in the province, according to the latest data announced by the Kirkuk Health Department. Continue Reading

The Erbil Health Department announced nine more recoveries from the novel coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region's capital, bringing the number of recoveries in the province to 134, out of a total of 169 cases.

As of Monday evening, only 53 active cases remain across the Kurdistan Region, including 35 in Erbil alone.

For nine days in a row, the Region's capital has not recorded any new COVID-19 cases. Continue Reading

The border crossing between the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria (Rojava) has reopened to commercial traffic, according to official border authorities.

The Semalka border crossing has been closed to the public since March 1 in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19. Rojava has so far had 1 confirmed case of the virus, with 337 recorded in the Kurdistan Region. 

The crossing will remain closed to the public with the exception of humanitarian cases, Rojava Information Center tweeted on Monday morning. 

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The COVID-19 pandemic is placing displaced and stateless women and girls at higher risk of gender-based violence (GBV), the UN Refugee Agency said in a Monday statement.

Lockdown measures and the economic impact of the global pandemic are "significantly exacerbating the risks of intimate partner violence," said the agency's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs.

"Some may end up confined to their shelters and homes, trapped with their abusers without the opportunity to distance themselves or to seek in-person support," she added. 

More than a third of the world's population are under some form of lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. While many stay home to stay safe, lockdown measures have hindered life-saving services for those at risk of GBV - with services, including safe shelters, temporarily suspended, re-purposed or closed, according to UNHCR.

Displaced women are involved in the fight against abuse amid the pandemic but need support from governments and NGOS, the agency added. 

“To preserve lives and secure rights, governments, together with humanitarian actors, must ensure that rising risks of violence for displaced and stateless women are taken into account in the design of national COVID-19 prevention, response and recovery plans,” the statement added, calling on states to make critical services, including psycho-social support and safe shelters, accessible to those in need. 

By Holly Johnston 

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Lockdown restrictions across Iraq are to be eased tomorrow as the holy month of Ramadan approaches, according to a statement from the media office of caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

The curfew across Iraq’s governorates – with the exception of the Kurdistan Region’s four provinces – will remain in place from 7pm to 6am from April 21 to May 22, with a total lockdown on Fridays and Saturdays.

Shops and factories will be allowed to open until 6pm, and restaurants will be allowed to operate delivery services. Taxis will be allowed to run but vehicles carrying more than four people are prohibited.

Government offices will open with a reduced workforce and schools, universities, cafes, malls and wedding halls will remain closed.

Face masks must be worn outside, the statement added.

Iraq has recorded a total of 1,539 cases of COVID-19 and 82 deaths as of Sunday. A lockdown was initially introduced on March 15 to stem the spread of the virus.

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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.

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