Iraq warns of reimposing curfew

Baghdad, Jan 10 The Iraqi Ministry of Health has warned of reimposing a nationwide curfew if there was an increase in new coronavirus infections due to the non-compliance of citizens with the protective measures.

Health teams have spotted non-compliance and resumption of social customs such as shaking hands, hugging, and kissing like situation before the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"These indicators are very dangerous and warn of an increase in infections again, especially after the emergence of new strains of coronavirus in many countries," Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The Ministry said that the continuous decline of Covid-19 infections and deaths would not keep Iraq from danger.

Therefore, the Ministry called on citizens to adhere to health-protective measures to prevent the increase of infections again, "otherwise, we will be forced to take strict restrictive measures such as a nationwide full curfew and closure of all vital facilities with human gatherings", according to the statement.

Also on Saturday, the Ministry reported 907 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infection tally to 602,331.

It also registered four new fatalities, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 12,881, and 1,965 more recovered cases, bringing the total recoveries to 554,990.

A total of 4,836,843 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 29,611 done during the day, according to the statement.

( With inputs from IANS )