ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Road blocks were set up across the Kurdistan Region cities of Erbil and Sulaimani overnight to enforce a 48 hour lockdown and traffic suspension under extraordinary measures to halt the spread of coronavirus.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Interior released a statement on Friday afternoon ordering the “suspension of traffic inside both cities of Erbil and Sulaimani for 48 hours, starting from midnight.”
“People should stay at home so that medical teams can do their work,” it said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the outbreak as a pandemic on Wednesday.
The Kurdistan Region has confirmed 26 cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
According to health ministry figures, Iraq as a whole now has 93 confirmed cases. Nine people have died and 24 have recovered.
Rudaw English will be providing regular updates on the situation.
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The Kurdistan Regional Government advises anyone in the Kurdistan Region displaying coronavirus symptoms to call its emergency hotline on 122. This service is available in Kurdish and Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. More information can be found on the government’s website.