KRG will ‘closely monitor’ flights from UK, hotspot for new COVID-19 variant

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The health of all passengers travelling directly or indirectly from the United Kingdom will be closely monitored to prevent “any potential rise” of a new variant of the coronavirus, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health ministry announced on Monday. 

“As preparation and necessary measures against any potential rise of a new virus, announced by Britain, we announce that you have to closely monitor all those tourists and people who return from Britain directly or indirectly,” the ministry said in a letter to all local health directorates in the Kurdistan Region.

The measure applies to border crossings and to airports, the ministry said.

While recorded cases of the coronavirus in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have declined in recent weeks, incidences of the virus have grown in the UK.

A new variant of the coronavirus has been spreading in the UK since mid-September, World Health Organisation (WHO) official Maria Van Kerkhove told the BBC.  The new variant can also be found elsewhere in Europe and in Australia, she said.

British prime minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday that parts of the country worst affected by spread of the new coronavirus strain, including London and other parts of the south and east of England, would be placed under the strictest available coronavirus measures, known as Tier 4, until the end of 2020.

Non-essential shops and entertainment venues are to shut their doors, and the government has reviewed its travel guide, calling on people living in Tier 4 areas to avoid non-urgent travel.

“The new variant has significantly changed the current landscape and urgent action is needed to protect the NHS and save lives,” Johnson’s office said on Saturday.

A host of European and Middle Eastern countries have either suspended or reduced flights to and from the UK to prevent the spread of the virus at home. 

Over 77 million people have contracted COVID-19 worldwide, and over 1.7 million have died after contracting the virus.

The Kurdistan Region has recorded a total of 101,826 cases, 67,261 recoveries and 3,343 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest data from the health ministry.