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By John Lee.
Mechanics and vendors staged protests on Saturday against the continuing lockdown across the Kurdistan Region, calling on the government to allow them to reopen their garages and shops after a month of closures.
Workers in Erbil and Duhok said the lockdown, implemented to stem the spread of COVID-19, is impacting their ability to provide for their families.
(Source: Rudaw)
By Mustafa Saadoun for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.
Cloud of doubt surrounds coronavirus figures reported by Iraqi government
Iraqis are highly skeptical of the statistics announced by the Iraqi government regarding the country’s number of coronavirus cases. This doubt is evident in media reports and blogs of journalists and activists on social media.
Health Minister Jaafar Allawi said April 12 in a television interview, “The number of coronavirus cases is subject to international monitoring. Death certificates and forensic medicine are monitored and coronavirus statistics cannot be manipulated in any way.” As of April 14, the country had registered 1,400 cases and 78 deaths, according to a statement by the Health Ministry.
An administrator working at a medical center east of Baghdad said during an interview with Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The numbers that the Iraqi Health Ministry announces daily are not the real numbers. On one day, we recorded more than 30 cases in one health center, but in the evening the Iraqi statistics that were revealed showed fewer cases than those recorded in our center.“
By Omar Sattar for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.
Islamic State seeks comeback under cover of coronavirus
The Islamic State (IS) is seeking to take advantage of Iraq’s preoccupation with the coronavirus pandemic and the global coalition’s suspension there of military operations against IS.
Accordingly, Iraqi forces have launched a preemptive operation to cut off IS supply routes and weaken its combat capabilities.
“Despite the suspension of the global coalition’s operations, Iraqi forces are conducting operations to hunt down the terrorist organization on the border with Syria,” Iraq Defense Ministry spokesperson Yahya Rasoul told Al-Monitor. “IS has incurred huge losses in recent days as it tried to exploit the coronavirus crisis to expand its terrorist operations.”
Sterilizing the streets: Local Peace Committees in Anbar join forces to prevent the spread of COVID-19
Eleven Local Peace Committees have taken the initiative to protect their communities from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by sterilizing public spaces in Iraq’s Anbar governorate.
Markets, streets, residential areas, schools, government institutions, mosques, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in major areas in Anbar are being disinfected by the committees through trained response teams in coordination with Anbar’s Defense, Health and Municipalities directorates.
Established in 2018 by UNDP Iraq to promote peace and stability post-ISIL, the committees are made up of security officers, local authority personnel, civil society organization representatives and tribal sheikhs.
Each committee is led by their local Mayor, who, since the onset of the pandemic, has been working to instruct the public to adhere to health protection measures, and have shifted the committees’ focus to managing the outbreak.
Mayor of Habbaniyah district, Ali Dawood Suleiman, discusses the measures taking place in his local community. “We carried out many campaigns, including visits to hospitals and emergency rooms late at night to monitor the readiness of medical personnel to receive urgent cases,” he said.
“We will also monitor prices in the markets in coordination with security agencies to ensure the price of goods does not rise,” he added.
While the Anbar governorate is currently under curfew, basic food shops are open to residents during defined time periods. Local Peace Committee members in the areas of Ramadi, Habbaniyah, Fallujah, Amiriyat al-Samoud, Qarma, Rawa, Anah, Haditha, Rutba, Tuaim, and Heet continue to implement sterilization and communication campaigns to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
(Source: UN)
By John Lee.
Iraq‘s Higher Committee for Health and National Safety met in Baghdad on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi. The meeting was conducted via video conferencing.
The Committee discussed a number of policy options to support Iraqi nationals abroad who wish to return home, and how to address the logistical and health challenges involved. It is expected that the Committee will make an announcement on this issue shortly.
Following discussions on COVID-19/coronavirus, the Committee decided to:
(Source: Govt of Iraq)
By John Lee.
Iraq‘s Higher Committee for Health and National Safety has decided to extend the curfew throughout Iraq until Saturday 18th April.
The move is intended to slow the spread of coronavirus/COVID-19 in the country.
(Source: Govt of Iraq)
Iraq produces COVID-19 laboratory supplies to more rapidly test cases
In cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 Crisis Cell of Basrah University in southern Iraq has successfully produced urgently needed laboratory supplies to speed up testing of suspected cases.
The global demand on supplies and equipment to fight COVID-19 has created a worldwide shortage of supplies. In particular, stocks of virus transport medium (VTM) – a gel-like substance used to preserve nasal swab specimens while they are being transported to laboratories – have been low.
As of 1 April, the University manufacturing team produced more than 1620 VTM, in addition to 3200 nasal swabs. These were delivered to health directorates in Iraq’s Basra, Muthana, Karbala, and Wasit governorates.
This new production, along with the Reverse Transcriptase-PRC (RT-PCR) kits provided by WHO, has facilitated the testing of hundreds of suspected cases in southern Iraq.
“The latest bottleneck to contain and reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Iraq has been the shortage of supplies and equipment needed to collect and transport samples,” said Dr Adham Ismail, WHO Representative in Iraq. “For this, WHO and Basra University have coordinated efforts to produce the essential laboratory products needed to test suspected cases, and together, we set the overall goal for supplying the quantities needed countrywide,” he added.
The new local production of VTM and swabs is a collective effort by Basra University, WHO, and other faculties like Al Zahraa Medical College, Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Sciences, and College of Agriculture, all in Basrah governorate. “We hope this will solve the domestic shortage issue resulting from the global demand,” said Dr Saad Shahin, President of Basra University.
The Basrah Crisis Cell has also announced 3 other COVID-19 response measures, including an online application for COVID-19 self-reporting. So far, the app has been used by 4500 applicants, of whom 130 qualified for further testing by the RT-PCR kits.
Disinfectants and sterilization material, including hand-rub gel, have also been produced locally with support from WHO and the Government of Iraq.
(Source: WHO)
Belgium, Netherlands and Sweden commit $5 million to tackle COVID-19 outbreak
The governments of Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden have collectively committed US$5 million to support the Government of Iraq’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, in partnership with UNDP Iraq.
The funds, which were originally pledged under UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilization to help rehabilitate infrastructure damaged by ISIL, are now being urgently redirected to support UNDP Iraq’s initial $24 million COVID-19 response package.
Measures to combat the virus under this package include increasing the testing capacity of laboratories, providing personal protective equipment to healthcare workers, increasing the number of isolation wards, and undertaking assessments to establish post-COVID-19 recovery strategies.
Focusing on the most vulnerable communities in Iraq, activities will be rolled out in eight hospitals selected by local authorities in the underserved areas of Anbar, Diyala, Dohuk, Basra, Karbala, Najaf, Ninewa and Salah Al-Din.
Resident Representative of UNDP Iraq, Zena Ali Ahmad, said:
“Containing the coronavirus outbreak is now the Government of Iraq’s number one priority, particularly as infection rates rise, putting more pressure on the Iraqi healthcare system outside the major capitals. We’re extremely grateful to Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden for acting swiftly to commit these funds and being so flexible in administering them.
“Due to the strict curfews imposed by the Government of Iraq, we’ve had no choice but to temporarily halt the implementation of our stabilization activities. However, by capitalizing on the tried-and-tested processes of our successful stabilization work, we will respond to this unprecedented global health crisis with the speed and agility UNDP Iraq is known for.
“Once this pandemic is under control, our stabilization activities will resume. Until then, we will work closely with the Government of Iraq, the World Health Organisation and other UN agencies to curb the crisis as best we can.“
UNDP Iraq is currently discussing the remaining $19 million funding gap with other international partners.
Processes have been established to ensure that once funds have been committed, the response measures can be implemented immediately.
(Source: UN)
Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Higher Committee for Health and National Safety.
The Committee was established to direct and coordinate Iraq‘s national efforts to combat Covid-19.
The Committee agreed a number of measures, including:
The Committee also discussed declaring a national day of solidarity to show support for those leading the national effort to combat Covid-19, to thank all Iraqis for their steadfastness and unity, and to pay the nation’s respect to Iraqi families who lost loved ones because of Covid-19.
During the proposed national day of solidarity, which will be specified later, sirens will sound at a particular moment in the day, and the national anthem will be played on all TV channels, radio stations and other media throughout Iraq.
The Higher Committee for Health and National Safety, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, includes several ministers, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, the Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, the National Security Adviser, and a number of other officials.
The Committee is mandated with setting out policies, and adopting the necessary measures to contain Covid-19.
It will also coordinate with the Council of Representatives (Parliament), the judicial authorities, as well as relevant international organisations.
The Government Crisis Cell will continue to have responsibility for taking the necessary preventive measures and the delivery of Covid-19 health services, subject to the approval of the Prime Minister.
(Source: Govt of Iraq)
By Lujain Elbaldawi for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.
Iraqi government calls on civil society to fight COVID-19
Despite the Iraqi government’s intensive efforts to fight the novel coronavirus, it seems unable to accommodate the difficult circumstances due to its limited resources, not to mention the political crisis that has been plaguing it since protests erupted in October 2019.
The Iraqi government is thus calling on civil society and charities to provide aid with their resources.