Iraq Underlines Continued Trade With Iran Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Date: 22 February 2020 - 22:57

News ID: ۷۶۴۳۶

TEHRAN (Dispatches) - The Iraqi Border Crossing Authority announced in a statement on Saturday that trade interactions continue with Iran similar to the past amid coronavirus concerns.
The statement said that the interactions will go on as the routine if drivers take preventive measures and undergo the necessary medical examinations.
It added that no Iranian or foreign passengers will be accepted until investigations on necessary health measures are finalized.
Iraq’s Health Ministry Spokesman Seif al-Badr, in a statement on Thursday, said that no order has been issued to the border authorities to close the gateways with Iran due to the new coronavirus outbreak.
This is while some foreign media circulated the rumor that Iraq had directed all health centers operating in the ports with Iran to implement new restrictions on the travelers and merchandise coming from Iran.
Iran’s health ministry announced on Saturday one new death and 10 coronavirus cases, raising the total tally to 28 infections.
"10 new cases have been confirmed since yesterday (Friday), 8 from (the Central city of) Qom and 2 others from Tehran; generally, we have 28 cases of positive coronavirus infections who are mostly residents of Qom or have traveled to Qom,” spokesman of the Iranian Health Ministry Kianoush Jahanpour said.
He added that an infected patient has lost life recently which increases the number of fatalities resulted from coronavirus in Iran to 5.
Jahanpour said that among thousands of people who have visited the medical centers across the country, 785 patients have been hospitalized for more specialized tests.