The two border crossing points closed at 12 midnight. It was not immediately clear how long the suspension would last. Iraq has closed its crossings with Iran for the next three days, NRT reported.
Officials at the Parwezxan border crossing said that residents of the Kurdistan Region that want to return from Iran will have to be checked at a local medical facility and tested for the virus.
“For trading to stop through the border crossing, we need the order of the KRG and the directorate of customs,” they added.
“Iraq has suspended giving tourist visas to Iranians and also stopped letting people from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq visit Iran, all those who come back from Iran will be isolated and checked,” the Haji Omaran border crossing officials said in a statement.
Responding to the outbreak in Iran, Sulaimani Health Deputy Director Herish Salim told NRT’s Tawtwe interview program on Thursday that they have established a lab in Sulaimani to test for the virus.
“It is the first of its kind in Iraq, it will start operating next week and we ask the government to give us an open budget for the facilities,” Salim said.
“We are in cooperation with the Sulaimani Asayish Directorate, Sulaimani Airport, Agricultural Directorate, Veterinary, and with representatives of the WHO. We have created an operations room to counter the virus and prevent it from spreading in Kurdistan Region,” He added.
Reporter's code: 50101