Covid-19: Govt amends Curfew, Announces New Measures

By John Lee.

The Iraqi Government has issued the following announcement regarding measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

1. A partial curfew will be implemented during the blessed month of Ramadan from 20:00 to 05:00 the following morning for the first three weeks of Ramadan, while allowing restaurants to provide delivery service.
2. A full curfew on Fridays and Saturdays every week. Exempt are pharmacies, food marts, fruit and vegetable stands, and bakeries, and allowing them to carry out their work until 19:00, and allowing restaurants to provide delivery service.
3. Enforcing measures by health control teams and the security forces, and holding violators accountable.
4. Directing health departments to ask their employees in hospitals and health centres to provide proof that employees are Covid-19 negative through PCR examination results, with tests being conducted within a week or providing proof of their inoculation with a Covid-19 vaccine, to allow them to work starting 1 May 2021. Directors of health institutions will be held legally responsible for implementing and following up these procedures.
5. Conducting PCR tests on all patients and their caregivers if they are unable to provide a certificate of  inoculation against Covid-19.
6. Starting 1 May 2021, those employed in retail stores, restaurants, malls, factories and other places of business subject to health control measures will require inoculation. Health permits for the aforementioned businesses will be conditional on providing proof of inoculation of all staff. Following this date, businessowners will be held accountable and subject to fines if any employee cannot provide evidence that:

• • The employee has been inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine.
  • Those who are unable to be inoculated such as pregnant women and other contraindications, or those who can provide evidence that they contracted Covid-19 during the last three months, by providing a positive PCR test or CT-scan will need to provide proof of a negative PCR test taken within the most recent week.
  • Ministry of Health monitoring authorities, with the support of the security forces, must hold accountable violators of these health measure in accordance with the Public Health Law and the decisions of the Higher Committee for Heath and National Safety.

7. Starting 1 May 2021 staff working in pharmacies, drug stores, laboratories and private clinics, including radiology clinics, and private hospitals will not be allowed to work if:

• • They cannot provide evidence that they are Covid-19 negative through a negative PCR test conducted within the most recent week.
  • There cannot provide evidence of being inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.
  • Ministry of Health inspectors and the relevant associations (Doctors’ Syndicate, Dentists’ Syndicate, Pharmacists’ Syndicate) will enforce the implementation of the above and hold violators accountable and closing the practice of violators in accordance with the laws and regulations in force.

8. Citizens will not be allowed entrance into ministries and government agencies of a crowded nature  (pension department, traffic directorates, passport directorates, civil and national status directorates, etc.), as well as not allowing employees of the aforementioned to work starting from 20 April 2021, in case of:

• • They cannot provide evidence that they are Covid-19 negative through a negative PCR test conducted within the most recent week.
  • There cannot provide evidence of being inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.
  • All government entities not associated with a ministry and all governorates are responsible for implementing the procedures and following up with their employees and considering any violating employee in absent without payment.

9. Sports clubs will not allow the presence of any of the players unless they present their inoculation card for the Covid-19 vaccine.
10. The Ministries of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Health will coordinate regarding conducting campaigns to vaccinate the covered groups of faculty and students.
11. The Hajj and Umrah Authority will not register any of the citizens wishing to perform the Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages unless it is proven that s/he has obtained the inoculation card with the Covid-19 vaccine.
12. Urging all government entities not associated with a ministry and all governorates to direct their employees to be inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine.
13. Calling upon community leaders, students of religious sciences, tribal sheikhs, intellectuals, activists and media professionals to take their national and moral responsibility in raising awareness and not to stand watching in light of the continuing dangerous epidemiological situation.
14. Calling upon all media outlets, governmental and private institutions, and civil society organisations to make efforts to urge citizens to adhere to preventive measures, and to encourage citizens to take the vaccine in health centres and accredited hospitals.
15. Putting into force the application of the provisions of Article 240 of Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, as amended, related to violating orders and regulations, and authorizing the security forces in support of health teams and their application against citizens in violation in the event that they fail to pay fines.
16. The Joint Operations Command, Baghdad Operations Command, the Ministry of Interior, and the National Security Agency will continue to support health teams in their inspections and follow-up on the implementation of preventive measures in public places, restaurants, shopping malls, cafes and others during and outside of official working hours.
17. Reducing working hours in public departments and institutions by one hour during the holy month of Ramadan.

(Source: Govt of Iraq)

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