Kurdistan Region parliament in Iraq closes after COVID-19 cases

Some members and staff were found to have COVID-19 after tests as the virus spreads quickly throughout the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
Members of the Parliament of the Kurdistan region vote on the ministerial list of the Kurdistan Regional Government headed by Masrour Barzani in Erbil, Iraq July 10, 2019. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1EA4570DE0
Members of the parliament of the Kurdistan region vote on the ministerial list of the Kurdistan Regional Government headed by Masrour Barzani in Erbil, Iraq, July 10, 2019. - REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
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Al-Monitor Staff

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s parliament is closing for two weeks after some members and staff tested positive for COVID-19.

The body in the autonomous part of northern Iraq said the outbreak began when a parliament staff member caught the novel coronavirus. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health authorities then tested 197 parliamentarians and staff members Tuesday. The results indicated some tested positive for the virus and the parliament is now closed for two weeks, the Kurdistan parliament said in a tweet today.

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