10-04-2020
23:49
Kurdistan Region records fourth COVID-19 death: health ministry
Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah
A 65-year-old woman has died of COVID-19 in Sulaimani province, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health ministry.
“Within the framework of our testing and search for those infected, a new case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Sulaimani city. It was a 65-year-old woman who lives in Sulaimani,” according to a statement from the KRG health ministry.
It added that the woman suffered from "fatal" diseases, and therefore died “after staying at hospital for a while.”
This is the fourth coronavirus-related death in the Kurdistan Region, which has seen 324 reported cases of the virus thus far, including 134 recoveries.
“Within the framework of our testing and search for those infected, a new case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Sulaimani city. It was a 65-year-old woman who lives in Sulaimani,” according to a statement from the KRG health ministry.
It added that the woman suffered from "fatal" diseases, and therefore died “after staying at hospital for a while.”
This is the fourth coronavirus-related death in the Kurdistan Region, which has seen 324 reported cases of the virus thus far, including 134 recoveries.
21:59
Turkey announces two-day lockdown in 31 cities
A woman wearing a protective face mask travels on a ferry across the Bosphorus in Istanbul on April 8 April 2020. Photo: Yasin AKGUL / AFP
Thirty-one Turkish cities will be locked down for two days, starting from midnight as the number of COVID-19 cases near 50,000, according to a statement from Turkish interior ministry released late Friday.
The lockdown covers Adana, Ankara, Antalya, Aydın, Balıkesir, Bursa, Denizli, Diyarbakır, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaras, Kayseri, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Ordu, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Tekirdag, Trabzon, Van, and Zonguldak, according to the statement.
The 48-hour lockdown bans people from leaving their houses.
Turkey had already banned movement between most all these cities since March 27.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
21:14
Iraq commercial flight ban extended to April 18
The entrance to the Erbil airport, on of the two international airports in the Kurdistan Region. File photo: Safin Hamed/ AFP
Iraq has extended its ban on commercial flights until April 18 as part of measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, according to statements from Erbil and Sulaimani international airports Friday evening.
Military and aid related flights will continue according to the statements.
“Please be advised that following instructions received from the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority, airports throughout Iraq, including Erbil, will remain closed to commercial passenger flights until April 18th,” reads a statement from Erbil International Airport (EIA). Sulaimani International Airport (SIA) released a similar statement.
“The decision does not apply to flights for the Red Crescent, military, medical aid, and other aids, as well as cargo flights,” read the SIA statement.
As part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority banned commercial passenger flights on March 17.
The Iraqi health ministry has confirmed 47 news cases of the virus and a death in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in Iraq and Kurdistan Region to 1279, including 70 deaths and 550 recoveries.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
Military and aid related flights will continue according to the statements.
“Please be advised that following instructions received from the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority, airports throughout Iraq, including Erbil, will remain closed to commercial passenger flights until April 18th,” reads a statement from Erbil International Airport (EIA). Sulaimani International Airport (SIA) released a similar statement.
“The decision does not apply to flights for the Red Crescent, military, medical aid, and other aids, as well as cargo flights,” read the SIA statement.
As part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority banned commercial passenger flights on March 17.
The Iraqi health ministry has confirmed 47 news cases of the virus and a death in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in Iraq and Kurdistan Region to 1279, including 70 deaths and 550 recoveries.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
20:45
Death toll surpasses 1,000 in Turkey, as cases near 50,000: health minister
Alye Gunduz tested positive for the virus on April 1 but recovered from it after only ten days. Photo: AA
Ninety-eight new COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in Turkey over the last 24 hours, causing the country’s death toll to surpass a thousand.
The same period has seen 4,747 people test positive for the virus, and 281 people recover, said health minister Fahrettin Koca to reporters in Ankara on Friday evening.
This new data brings the total number of cases to 47,029, including 1,006 deaths and 2,423 recoveries.
The minister also announced that 30,864 tests were conducted in a day, fulfilling last week’s promise of increasing testing to 30,000 people daily
One of Turkey’s newest recoveries is a 93-year-old woman from Istanbul, according to state media.
Alye Gunduz, 93, tested positive for the virus on April 1 but made a full recovery after only ten days, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
As per Turkey’s measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, people above the ages of 65 and under 20 are banned from leaving their homes.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
The same period has seen 4,747 people test positive for the virus, and 281 people recover, said health minister Fahrettin Koca to reporters in Ankara on Friday evening.
This new data brings the total number of cases to 47,029, including 1,006 deaths and 2,423 recoveries.
The minister also announced that 30,864 tests were conducted in a day, fulfilling last week’s promise of increasing testing to 30,000 people daily
One of Turkey’s newest recoveries is a 93-year-old woman from Istanbul, according to state media.
Alye Gunduz, 93, tested positive for the virus on April 1 but made a full recovery after only ten days, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
As per Turkey’s measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, people above the ages of 65 and under 20 are banned from leaving their homes.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
19:35
Iraqi health ministry confirms 47 new cases, one death
Health workers take a break from their monitoring of temperatures at the gate of Al-Karma city in Anbar province to pose for the camera. Photo: Iraqi health ministry
One COVID-19 patient has died and 47 people have tested positive for the virus in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, over the last 24 hours, according to a statement by the Iraqi health ministry.
The Iraqi capital city of Baghdad has the lion’s share of the new cases with 11 people having been found to carry the virus. The new COVID-19 related death also took place in Baghdad.
The country’s health ministry announced the recovery of 54 more people during this period.
Thirteen people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kurdistan Region over the last 24 hours, mostly from the capital city of Erbil, according to a statement from the KRG health ministry.
Nine cases are in Erbil province, seven of which can be traced back to two illegal wakes held in the capital on March 21 and 23. The outlawed social gatherings have thus far caused the virus to spread to over a hundred people.
The other four cases are in Sulaimani province, which was almost declared virus free after the recovery of most previous patients.
Duhok province, which currently only has three active cases, is the province least affected by coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region.
The new data brings the total number of the cases in Iraq and Kurdistan Region to 1279, including 70 deaths and 550 recoveries.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
The Iraqi capital city of Baghdad has the lion’s share of the new cases with 11 people having been found to carry the virus. The new COVID-19 related death also took place in Baghdad.
The country’s health ministry announced the recovery of 54 more people during this period.
Thirteen people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Kurdistan Region over the last 24 hours, mostly from the capital city of Erbil, according to a statement from the KRG health ministry.
Nine cases are in Erbil province, seven of which can be traced back to two illegal wakes held in the capital on March 21 and 23. The outlawed social gatherings have thus far caused the virus to spread to over a hundred people.
The other four cases are in Sulaimani province, which was almost declared virus free after the recovery of most previous patients.
Duhok province, which currently only has three active cases, is the province least affected by coronavirus in the Kurdistan Region.
The new data brings the total number of the cases in Iraq and Kurdistan Region to 1279, including 70 deaths and 550 recoveries.
By Karwan Faidhi Dri
14:05
UPDATED: Kurdistan lockdown to be partially lifted for 24 hours – then extended until April 16
Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) interior ministry will extend the coronavirus lockdown until April 16 following a partial 24 hour pause starting from midnight tonight.
The lockdown had been due to expire on Friday.
KRG spokesman Jutiar Adil tweeted Friday that there will be a 24 hour window of opportunity from midnight tonight for families separated by the travel ban to reunite.
This only applies to families split between separate towns or provinces - not those separated within the same urban area, the spokesman clarified to Rudaw English.
Shops and other essential services will be permitted to open from midnight until 6pm, he added.
The new lockdown and full traffic suspension will then come into force from 00:01 am on Sunday.
“Our Interior Ministry has extended the travel ban across Kurdistan Region until midnight of Apr. 16 as we fight COVID-19 – UN, aid agencies & diplomatic teams are exempt from movement restrictions. Families separated by the lockdown have 24 hrs to reunite,” Adil tweeted.
Travel between towns, cities, and provinces has been suspended for several weeks to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Kurdistan Region health authorities have recorded 311 COVID-19 infections, 125 recoveries, and three deaths as of Thursday evening.
By Lawk Ghafuri
00:01
April 10: Latest COVID-19 updates from the Kurdistan Region and beyond
Iraqi security forces pay tribute to health personnel for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in the southern city of Basra, April 07, 2020. Photo: Hussein Faleh / AFP
How are you coping under the lockdown? Send your comments and photos to our Facebook and Twitter pages.
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.
Catch up on past updates here