Many families gathered to celebrate Newroz over the weekend, ignoring government instructions to stay at home. The Iraqi health ministry announced the death of three more people from COVID-19, bringing the national death toll to 20. Baghdad and Erbil on Sunday both announced lengthy extensions to curfews.
“Despite the warnings and appropriate measures taken by the government bodies, unfortunately some people violate [the instructions] and with their actions not only they endanger their own lives but the lives of their relatives and the people of Kurdistan,” reads the statement from Barzani. There have been 54 cases of coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region, including one death.
“The capabilities of the Region’s health system are limited and in the case of spreading the virus the obstacles will increase,” the prime minister stated. “Any disobedience and negligence could have catastrophic consequences.”
The Kurdistan Regional Government imposed a lockdown at midnight on March 13. On Sunday, the Ministry of the Interior extended the measure until April 1 across all four provinces and barred travel between provinces and towns, with the exception of security vehicles and ambulances. Baghdad has extended its country-wide curfew until 11 pm Saturday. The ban on commercial air travel was also extended to Saturday, according to state media.
In his statement, Barzani thanked health professionals, security forces, and citizens who are abiding by the instructions to stay at home and not to endanger other people’s lives unnecessarily by spreading the virus.
The head of the United Nations in Iraq warned the country’s citizens against flouting the government-imposed restrictions on movement.
“In recent days we have noticed that some people are unnecessarily breaking the curfew and some people are not fully abiding by instructions. To those, I would like to say you are endangering yourself, your families, your loved ones, you are endangering the community at large,” UNAMI’s Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said in a press conference in Baghdad on Sunday.
Some Iraqis have continued to participate in large group gatherings, including religious gatherings, Kurdish New Year (Newroz) celebrations, and the anti-government protests that have occupied central squares of several southern Iraqi cities since October.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shiites turned out to commemorate a revered imam on Saturday, defying curfews imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
Crowds were considerably smaller than they have been in recent years. On foot, they streamed to the golden-domed mausoleum of Imam al-Kadhim in Baghdad, where authorities kept an outer gate open to allow pilgrims into the surrounding courtyard.
The inner shrine remained closed despite some pilgrims pressing authorities to let them in, a shrine official told AFP.
"There are many fewer pilgrims than in previous years," the official said, asking not to be identified.
"For the first time, there are no foreign pilgrims – everyone comes from Iraqi provinces."
The anniversary typically draws millions of devout followers from around the world who visit and kiss the shrine housing the remains of Musa al-Kadhim, who died in 799 in the custody of Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.
Many come from Iran, which is now battling one of the world's deadliest coronavirus outbreaks.
Nineteen new cases of the virus have also been recorded across the country - seven of which were in the Kurdistan Region, according to the statement released on Sunday.
Eight people in Baghdad were confirmed to have contracted the virus, two in Najaf, one in Karbala, and one in Muthanna, as well as six new cases in Sulaimani and one in Erbil.
The Iraqi Health Ministry has reported 233 overall cases of COVID-19 infection in the country, including the Kurdistan Region.
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.
With reporting from AFP
