The ministry called on “airlines not to issue any travel tickets to any citizen unless they show a vaccination card.”
The ministry also announced it will close hospitals and public places if employees are not vaccinated.
“The ministry of health will close all private hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies and pharmaceutical storage depots if employees are not carrying a vaccination card,” it stated. The decision also includes closing down malls, shops, and restaurants unless all employees are vaccinated.
On Wednesday, Iraq saw its highest number of new cases – 8,331 – which the health ministry described as a “serious development.” On Thursday, Iraq recorded 7,817 new cases and 34 deaths. Since the start of the pandemic, it has recorded 903,439 cases and 14,606 deaths.
Iraq has begun a vaccination campaign, receiving 336,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine and 50,000 of the Chinese-made Sinopharm. It expects more shipments soon.
“Millions of doses will reach Iraq in the coming days,” World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Iraq Ahmed Zouiten told state media on Thursday.
Of the vaccines bought by the federal government, 13 percent have been sent to the Kurdistan Region, Aram Rostam, advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) health ministry and head of the committee tasked with purchasing vaccines, said in an interview on Rudaw radio on Friday.
“Pfizer vaccine might reach the Kurdistan Region next week,” he added, part of a purchase of 16 million doses by Baghdad.
The federal and regional health ministries have both launched online portals for vaccine pre-registration, but skepticism is an ongoing battle for authorities in both the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq.
“We continue to raise awareness for people. Fortunately the past two or three days it’s been better, more people are coming around to get vaccinated,” said Rostam, but the number of people registering for a jab on the website “is not much.”
The Kurdistan Region has recorded 129,356 cases and 3,761 deaths.
Updated at 3:02 pm
