Nearly 300 Kurdistan Region returnees from Iran cleared to leave coronavirus quarantine
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Nearly 300 people quarantined for two weeks upon return from coronavirus-hit Iran were on Thursday cleared to return home by Kurdish health officials, in a first for the Kurdistan Region since the outbreak began.
All 283 people held at three different quarantine sites in Soran province bordering Iran have been declared clear of any coronavirus symptoms.
"A total of 283 individuals who were quarantined in three different locations of Soran will be let home today,” Karwan Jamal, head of Soran’s Health Department told Rudaw.
"All of them underwent medical tests for 14 consecutive days, twice a day," Jamal said. "Thankfully, they are all safe and did not show any signs of coronavirus."
A second group of 111 people “will be allowed home tomorrow (Friday)," he added.
Those who have left quarantine should still take health precautions, Jamal said, advising that they "check on their health and not visit crowded places for another two weeks."
“People are returning from Iran on a daily basis, so we have dedicated a place in Soran to quarantine the new returnees," he added, though returnee numbers from Iran have “dropped significantly” in the last fortnight.
Kurdish and Iraqi authorities have closed their borders with Iran and canceled direct flights serving Iranian cities, and Iraqi citizens returning from Iran must undergo 14 days in quarantine.
"According to our data, 10 to 15 people are returning daily," Jamal said.
One of those cleared to return home, a Soran native, commended the stringent quarantine measures being taken for those returning from neighboring Iran, where almost 3,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded – the fourth highest national total worldwide.
"Every morning and evening, they used to test our temperature,” he said of the virus monitoring procedure. “In this place where 135 people have been quarantined, none of us had any [health] problems, thank god."
According to health ministry figures, 2,303 people remain in quarantine across 27 Kurdistan Region locations.
Besides quarantine, KRG measures to prevent spread of the virus has included the shutdown of schools, a reduction in working hours across government institutions, and a ban on large public gatherings.
Total confirmed cases in Iraq stand at 37, according to data from Iraqi and KRG health authorities. All eight Kurdistan Region cases have been recorded in the city of Sulaimani.
First detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, novel coronavirus has since spread to at least 56 countries and territories, infecting at least 90,000 people worldwide and killing over 3,000.
All 283 people held at three different quarantine sites in Soran province bordering Iran have been declared clear of any coronavirus symptoms.
"A total of 283 individuals who were quarantined in three different locations of Soran will be let home today,” Karwan Jamal, head of Soran’s Health Department told Rudaw.
"All of them underwent medical tests for 14 consecutive days, twice a day," Jamal said. "Thankfully, they are all safe and did not show any signs of coronavirus."
A second group of 111 people “will be allowed home tomorrow (Friday)," he added.
Those who have left quarantine should still take health precautions, Jamal said, advising that they "check on their health and not visit crowded places for another two weeks."
“People are returning from Iran on a daily basis, so we have dedicated a place in Soran to quarantine the new returnees," he added, though returnee numbers from Iran have “dropped significantly” in the last fortnight.
Kurdish and Iraqi authorities have closed their borders with Iran and canceled direct flights serving Iranian cities, and Iraqi citizens returning from Iran must undergo 14 days in quarantine.
"According to our data, 10 to 15 people are returning daily," Jamal said.
One of those cleared to return home, a Soran native, commended the stringent quarantine measures being taken for those returning from neighboring Iran, where almost 3,000 coronavirus cases have been recorded – the fourth highest national total worldwide.
"Every morning and evening, they used to test our temperature,” he said of the virus monitoring procedure. “In this place where 135 people have been quarantined, none of us had any [health] problems, thank god."
According to health ministry figures, 2,303 people remain in quarantine across 27 Kurdistan Region locations.
Besides quarantine, KRG measures to prevent spread of the virus has included the shutdown of schools, a reduction in working hours across government institutions, and a ban on large public gatherings.
Total confirmed cases in Iraq stand at 37, according to data from Iraqi and KRG health authorities. All eight Kurdistan Region cases have been recorded in the city of Sulaimani.
First detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019, novel coronavirus has since spread to at least 56 countries and territories, infecting at least 90,000 people worldwide and killing over 3,000.