ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fully vaccinated Iraqi and foreign travelers will no longer need to present a recent negative PCR test ahead of travelling starting April 1, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority said in its new set of Covid-19 guidelines published by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Sunday.
“The guidelines state that, from 1st April, Iraqi and foreign travelers above the age of 12 who have received one dose of Johnson & Johnson or two doses of any other vaccine will no longer require evidence of a recent negative PCR test when traveling,” the KRG said.
“In cases where an individual cannot receive a vaccine, proof of a negative PCR test conducted in the previous 72 hours will be required,” it added.
A new wave of the coronavirus hit Iraq and the Kurdistan Region after the detection of the first cases of the Omicron variant in January. Both areas saw a surge of infections following a decline in cases.
Restrictions against the virus have decreased over the past few months in both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with life returning almost entirely to the pre-covid times.
The KRG’s endowment ministry decided in late January to allow people to hold wakes after nearly two years of ban.
Over 10 million people have been vaccinated in Iraq, according to the health ministry's latest data.
In November, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region rolled the third dose of the vaccine and they made Pfizer jabs available for 12-year-olds and above.
Iraq recorded 249 new cases of coronavirus and four deaths on Saturday, including the Kurdistan Region. The country has recorded a total of 2,317,747 cases and 25,149 deaths so far.
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