Kurdistan Region authorities have placed the two main cities of Sulaimani and Erbil on 5-day lockdown as a preventative measure to stop the spread of the COVID-19 disease.



The Kurdistan Region recorded its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on March 1. As of Monday night, 37 people have been diagnosed with the virus in the Kurdistan Region, one of whom has since died.



The province of Halabja has so far been left relatively unscathed by the outbreak, with just one SARS-CoV-2 case recorded. However, a group of philanthropists and businessmen are taking no chances against the highly contagious virus, coming together to build a hospital to deal with a possible outbreak.



The provincial government has provided an area of land for the 64-bed hospital to be built on, Halabja governor Azad Tawfiq said, with the aim of completing the project within two to three weeks.



One of the businessmen involved called the hospital's establishment a "humanitarian, religious and national duty" amid national and global uncertainty over what the disease will bring.



"As you know during the emergency times, no exact figures in terms of budget are allocated," Abed Hawrami, head of the Diwan corporation said. "But we have said we are ready to pay for the construction of the building and oxygen machines and ventilators."



Last updated 2.26 pm

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