Iraq starts partial lockdown as new strains of coronavirus spread rapidly

BAGHDAD, Feb 18 (KUNA) -- Iraqi authorities on Thursday started a partial curfew to control the spread of the coronavirus nationwide as health authorities recorded a significant increase in infections of the mutated virus.
The Iraqi government had imposed a two-week partial curfew, starting from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. on week days, and a complete curfew over the weekend.
In a press conference, Iraqi Health Minister Hassan Al-Tamimi said that health institutions in the country have witnessed a wide spread of the virus in recent days, and that more than 50 percent of those infection tested positive with the mutated new Coronavirus , that caused critical cases of infection among young people and children.
The committee warned of penalties and heavy fines for violating the directives for those who do not adhere to wearing a mask and physical distancing while on the move.
Infection cases in Iraq have recently escalated significantly, as it recorded 3,575 cases Wednesday , bringing the total number of people infected with the disease throughout Iraq to 653,557 cases, of whom 13,204 died and 611,036 cases recovered.(end) aah.nhq