Iraq Bans Travel to Iran Due to New Coronavirus Variant Outbreak

The Iraqi government announced on Tuesday, December 23rd, that the country has banned travel to eight countries, including Iran, in order to prevent the transmission of the new strain of coronavirus.

This two-week ban, which begins on Thursday of the current week, includes, in addition to Iran, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and can be extended given the spread of the new coronavirus variant in these countries.

Iraqi citizens from these countries are allowed to return to Iraq, provided they remain in quarantine for two weeks.

The Iraqi government has also ordered a two-week closure of restaurants, shopping centers, and other public places.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization, people infected with the new coronavirus variant transmit it to an average of 1.5 people, whereas this figure was 1.1 people for the previous coronavirus strain.

This United Nations-affiliated body, however, states that there is no evidence that the new coronavirus variant is more severe or more deadly than the previous variant.

So far in Iraq, more than 586,000 people have been infected with COVID-19, and 12,725 people have died from the disease.

Source: Radio Farda