SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Tuesday tourists who haven’t been vaccinated or don’t have a prior 48-hour coronavirus test will be banned to enter the Kurdistan Region.
KRG Supreme Committee to Confront Coronavirus held a meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss the current situation of coronavirus in the Region.
Spokesman Jotiar Adil reiterated that the coronavirus situation is “dangerous” and the number of infections continues to rise.
“The coronavirus situation could get to red level in the Kurdistan Region,” he said, stressing that the government would take all measures to save people’s lives.
To curb the virus spread in the Region, the supreme committee made a number of decisions, the KRG spokesman said.
Employees at religious sites, trade centers, malls, restaurants and cafeterias should be vaccinated or have a 72-hour coronavirus test, Adil said.
“The place will be closed if no one is committed to it,” he added.
Public servants should also receive coronavirus vaccines and wear masks during working, he noted.
“No tourists will be allowed to enter the Kurdistan Region if they aren’t vaccinated or do not have a coronavirus test,” Adil said.
“Any tourist company that has fake coronavirus tests will be added to black list and won’t be allowed to enter the Kurdistan Region.”
The committee also decided to impose the mandatory use of face masks in government’s institutions and in public and tourist places, Adil further said.
Cinemas and halls of wedding party, including in hotels, will remain closed, he added.
Adil also said the committee will meet again on August 3 to evaluate the situation following the decisions.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Kurdistan Region recorded 3,250 new cases of COVID-19 and 19 deaths in the previous 24 hours.
The Region’s total number of infections rose to 220,815, including 4,721 deaths, according to figures released by the health ministry.
