ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Photographers in Erbil have continued to document city life despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen daily life grind to a halt.
The Kurdistan Region capital has been on lockdown since March 13 due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Journalists and media employees have been exempt from the lockdown measures imposed throughout the Kurdistan Region provided they show a letter of support from their employer.
Safin Hamed has worked for AFP since 2003, and also runs photography courses for young people in Erbil.
"We’ve never seen Erbil like this," he told Rudaw. All kinds of people live here. It welcomes everyone with open arms, all nations and religions. Erbil is always busy.
Hamed has continued to photograph life in Erbil despite the quiet streets.
"We don’t care about beauty. We care about what is happening and we document it," he added.
"These photos are important to Rudaw Media Network as the streets are emptied," said Rudaw photographer Bilind T.Abdullah.
“These places were busy before, they are now deserted,” he added.
Reporting by Dida Faridoon
