Iraq bans travel to Iran due to outbreak of new type of coronavirus

The Iraqi government announced on Tuesday, January 2, 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 this week, includes, in addition to Iran, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Denmark, Japan, Belgium, and the Netherlands, and could be extended due to the spread of the new type of coronavirus in these countries.

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

The Iraqi government has also ordered the closure of restaurants, shopping malls, and other social venues for two weeks.

According to estimates from the World Health Organization, those infected with the new coronavirus transmit it to an average of 1.5 people, compared to 1.1 for the previous coronavirus.

The UN agency, however, says there is no indication that the new strain of coronavirus is more severe or deadly than the previous strain.

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

Source: Radio Farda