ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – As COVID-19 infections are rising in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, authorities in the autonomous Region halted traffic on Monday between the federal and regional provinces in a bid to stem a new wave of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 task force in the Kurdistan Region, dubbed the High Committee for Combating Coronavirus, issued a new directive on Monday aimed at curbing further infections in the Region, which has recently witnessed an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients.

The committee ordered “a stop to all travel between the Kurdistan Region and Iraqi provinces,” with some exceptions, including foreign diplomatic representatives, business travelers, and medical cases.

The decision is part of wider measures taken to curb the spread of the virus, including imposing partial lockdown and mandating the use of masks in some public spaces.

Health authorities both in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region believe that another wave of the pandemic has hit the country. On Monday, the Region recorded 1,040 infections in the previous of 24 hours along with 16 deaths, marking a sharp increase compared to previous months in which it had roughly 100 cases per day.

Health officials have warned that in case infections continue to rise, they could be forced to impose a complete lockdown to prevent further casualties.

The Kurdistan Region and Iraq since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 have together recorded more than 879,000 infections, of which over 14,500 people died.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly