No coronavirus cases recorded in Iraq: health ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi health authorities on Sunday claimed there are currently no cases of coronavirus in Iraq after an individual who had recently returned from Iran tested negative for the virus.

On Sunday, health officials in Iraq’s Dhi Qar province announced that a suspected coronavirus case turned out to be seasonal flu. Rumors had spread on Saturday that an Iraqi, who had returned from Iran’s holy city of Qom was carrying coronavirus.

“Dhi Qar Health Directorate Director Doctor Abdulhussein al-Jabiri confirmed that the samples of the suspected case sent to the General Health Laboratory in Baghdad confirmed the province being negative for coronavirus,” Iraq’s Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.

Haidar Ali Hantosh, head of General Health Department in Dhi Qar, said in a Facebook post the suspected case had seasonal influenza.

“For those doubting, we have nothing to hide regarding corona, and we aren’t fearful of announcing it in case it happens, God forbid,” Hantosh said in a post on Saturday. 

Iraqi Ministry of Health spokesperson Sayif al-Badir confirmed the news to state media Iraqiyah,  adding that health measures have been put in place.

“The Ministry has prepared health institutions in all provinces of Iraq, crossings, airports, and ports for quarantine,” Badir said. 

“Employees of the Ministry are on alert in all provinces, and necessary equipment for preventing the spread of the virus and raising awareness among the people are all provided,” he said.

The Iraqi and Iranian health ministries, alongside the regional and country-representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), are coordinating, he said. 

Those found inflating the price of face masks and attempting to monopolize medicine will be “held to account,” he added.

The coronavirus outbreak began in the Chinese city of Wuhan on December 31, killing more than 2,100 people and infecting more than 74,000 worldwide.

There have been 43 confirmed cases of the virus and eight deaths in Iran, according to Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour. Iran has experienced more coronavirus deaths than any other country outside of China.  

Both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Government of Iraq (GOI) have undertaken measures in a bid to prevent the virus from reaching Iraq.

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the KRG, has assigned a budget to help prevent an outbreak in the Kurdistan Region. 

Iraqis currently in Iran must undergo a 14-day monitoring period after crossing the border before they are allowed to return home, and will also be checked at their homes by medical teams, according to an order issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Health and the Environment.

Those who have arrived in the Region from Iran in recent weeks have been taken to a special centre in Erbil to undergo a 14-day monitoring period in order to make sure they are not infected with the virus.

The KRG has also quarantined hundreds of people newly returned from Iran in two hotels in Soran, and has barred visitors from the local hospital. 

Furthermore, Iraqis are not permitted to visit Iran unless they are part of a diplomatic delegation, and the federal government has suspended all Iraqi Airlines flights serving Najaf and Baghdad routes to Iran until further notice.

Fears of coronavirus arriving into the Kurdistan Region have led some pharmacies to raise the price of face masks. Eighteen pharmacies were closed by local authorities in Erbil on Saturday, accused of exploitation. 

‘No kissing’ 

Muslim-majority countries like Iraq are known for their collective culture, and tribes in parts of Iraq usually greet guests with kisses and handshakes. One Iraqi clan says it is taking precautions.

The Al-Bujyash clan in the province of Muthana on Sunday announced it would help raise awareness among members, both for recognizing symptoms and for taking precautions, state media Iraqiyah reported. 

“Members of the tribe have been directed to wear face masks and not kiss during occasions, especially mourning sessions, and to suffice with handshakes,” Rajih al-Raheem, the Sheikh of the clan, told state media.

On Sunday, Ali Dwai, governor of Maysan, urged a central crisis cell formed by the GOI to completely close the al-Shayb border crossing with Iran.

The governor insisted on “the importance of the full closure of al-Shayb crossing, in addition to following health instructions to avoid contracting the virus,” Dwai told state media.

Iraqi MP, Jawad al-Musawi, in a Sunday statement, urged authorities to extend spring vacation in Iraq by a week to prevent the virus spreading among students. 

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) updated its travel advice for Iraq on Sunday to warn travelers about the potential spread of the virus from neighboring Iran.