SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Region has reported the highest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, said the ministry of health on Monday.
In a statement, the health ministry said 1,985 new cases had been recorded in the Kurdistan Region in the previous 24 hours.
As many as 425 cases were in Erbil, 508 in Sulaimani, 976 in Duhok, 14 in Halabja, 55 in Garmian and seven others in Raparin, the ministry added.
Nineteen patients had died from the virus in the past 24 hours, while 1,032 others had recovered, according to the health ministry.
So far, the Kurdistan Region has registered 205,575 cases of the virus, including 4,599 deaths and 187,270 recoveries.
Earlier, the health ministry warned that a “tragic disaster” could occur in the Kurdistan Region due to “carelessness” toward coronavirus.
Health Minister Saman Barzinji also warned that the health condition in the Region had entered a “dangerous” phase.
The interior ministry also issued a 13-point statement as part of measures against the coronavirus outbreak.
The ministry said people visiting the Kurdistan Region from Iraqi provinces should take coronavirus tests within 72 hours prior to travel to the Region.
It added that health teams would be stationed at the Region’s checkpoints to take “random samples” from people visiting the Region.
It also called on the Region’s residents to wear masks in public and avoid visits during Eid al-Adha due to a rise in coronavirus infections.
