ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Another 26 people died of the coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region in the past 24 hours, pushing the death toll over 1,000, according to official figures.
The Kurdistan Region health ministry said in a statement on Friday afternoon that 26 patients – 11 from Sulaimani, nine from Erbil and six from Duhok – have died, bringing the total number of deaths in the Region to 1,007.
In the past 24 hours, 458 people tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of cases to 27,259. The ministry has conducted nearly 300,000 coronavirus tests.
The Kurdistan Region has seen more than 400 new cases every day for most of August.
Despite the high numbers of cases and deaths, tourist sites and resorts were packed on Friday. Few holidaymakers were wearing protective clothing or social distancing.
The government imposed strict lockdowns after the first case was recorded in March, but has largely eased restrictions in order to allow businesses to reopen.
Travel is now permitted between provinces, but face masks are mandatory at all times. "Anyone who does not wear a face mask outside their houses will be fined 20,000 dinars ($16.20)," the interior ministry announced on August 20.
The order is not enforced, however. Erbil mayor Nabaz Abdulhamid told Rudaw this week that they have not been given instructions by the ministry about how to carry out the order so they are not issuing any penalties at the moment.
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