BAGHDAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi authorities on Monday extended partial and full curfew for two weeks due to the continued increase in coronavirus infections, while the Ministry of Health reported 4,468 new COVID-19 cases.
A statement by the General Secretariat for the Council of Ministers said that the health authorities decided to extend the full curfew for Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and a partial curfew from 8:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. for the rest of the week, starting from March 9 until March 22.
The decision was based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, as the epidemiological situation indicates a continued increase in COVID-19 infections, according to the statement.
Moreover, the ministry expects a further increase in infections and critical cases, the statement added.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Ministry of Health reported 4,468 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide number of cases to 731,016.
The new cases included 1,679 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 669 in Basra, 555 in Najaf, 205 in Wasit, and 173 in Dhi Qar, while the other cases were detected in other provinces, the ministry said in a statement.
It also reported 24 new deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 13,596, while the total recoveries in Iraq climbed by 3,920 to 664,461.
A total of 7,156,783 tests have been carried out across the country since the outbreak of the disease in February 2020, with 33,021 done during the day.
On March 2, Iraq received a shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Chinese government to help combat the pandemic.
Iraq has taken a series of measures to curb the recent rise in infections after the health ministry announced on Feb. 15 the detection of a new strain with faster transmission and a higher level of severity.
The Iraqi National Board for Selection of Drugs has approved the emergency use of China's Sinopharm and Britain's AstraZeneca vaccines to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Enditem
