Since Kurdish authorities imposed a lockdown on Erbil and Sulaimani on Saturday, normal life has been suspended. For foreigners working in the Kurdistan Region far from home, the coronavirus curfew has raised several troubling dilemmas.
Many western expats chose to leave Erbil in recent days, concerned that flight disruptions and airport closures could see them stranded. Consulates have updated their travel advice for the Kurdistan Region, urging their citizens to stay away.
Although the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s containment measures have been widely praised, many are skeptical the local health system could withstand a serious outbreak.
Foreign companies, NGOs, and diplomatic missions are closely monitoring the situation. Many have opted to pull out their staff.
But with the virus spreading quickly in Europe and the Americas, are they any safer in their home countries?
Marco Rossi* is an Italian expat living in Erbil. His home country is experiencing the worst outbreak of coronavirus outside of China, where COVID-19 first emerged in December.
Here Rossi describes the dilemmas he and other westerners have wrangled with in recent days and explains why he chose to stay.
*Marco Rossi chose to use a pseudonym to protect his employer
You ask me whether my life has been impacted by the lockdown in Erbil. Well, obviously the answer is yes. Since a couple of days ago I have had to limit my movements outside, reducing them to the necessary ones only. During such outbreaks, daily life slows down – almost pauses.
If we want to go into details, I have been washing my hands more often, made good use of hand sanitizer, and contained my sneezes. I was never a big fan of Carnival, so I have not worn a mask so far. It is not the end of the world.
Personally, I decided to stay because nothing has really been going south. Imposing lockdowns and movement restrictions is normal; exactly what we should have expected to happen. We are lucky enough to live in a globalized era. Broadband is available. We have the chance to work remotely, so I think it is a good chance to use these modern possibilities and keep working even if the load is lighter.
On this note, a lot of acquaintances of mine have left the country in the last 48 hours. What is my motivation to stay? Well, it’s a combination of two aspects.
The first is that I think that the well-educated, cosmopolitan, and knowledgeable western world has lost its mind. I think we should keep our minds clear and responsive. So, what should I do? Tell my Iraqi colleagues, “My most sincere apologies, this virus terrifies me so I really need to leave. In the meantime I will keep being worried about you from my couch in Europe. Ok?” This is not my cup of chai. I think we have a collective duty to perform and carry on. I would rather do it here in Iraq than at home. The second merely relates to the health risk of contagion. Airplanes over the last 48 hours were vastly overcrowded. From my point of view, there was a higher probability of contracting the virus.
So, in essence, I think that KRG’s measures are in line with the regional trend and they are doing the right thing in limiting movement, which, by the way, is the same as what is happening in Italy. It is really not the end of the world. We have to abide by it for the greater good. I am reasonably confident that we will see a decrease in the contagion rates two weeks from now.
My family back home is observing the regulations and is safe. Italians really do struggle with following rules. Now, though, almost everywhere people understand the seriousness of the matter. This was not the case three or four weeks ago unfortunately, which is why the virus spread so fast. I think these restrictions on movement are giving people a chance to consider their real interests. Overall, I am not worried about the restrictions.
In regard to anxiety, panic buying, and hysteria, I think people definitely overreacted everywhere. What struck me was the amount of toilet paper I saw purchased in supermarkets. I started wondering, what is the nexus between a respiratory virus and rolls of white scented paper? I am still looking for an answer. On a serious note, it unfortunately shows us how selfish mankind has turned out to be. People basically looted store shelves and stockpiled commodities, seemingly preparing themselves for a siege. If we had just behaved normally, a fair share would have been left available for other citizens.
You ask me if I am satisfied with the level of information and advice I have been given by the Italian consulate here in Erbil. My answer: I usually check British and German statements instead.
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