Iraq has reopened its airways to commercial flights on Thursday after four months of lockdown due to the novel coronavirus, which brought the country’s fragile economy to its knees.
Flights resumed on Thursday morning from Baghdad International Airport destined for Lebanon and Turkey, AFP reports.
Before boarding, passengers were required to show negative COVID-19 test results to airport staff wearing masks and gloves.
Airports in the cities of Najaf and Basra south of the capital also reopened on Thursday, but those in Arbil and Sulaimaniyah, in the northern Kurdish region, said they would reopen on August 1.
Iraqi authorities lifted other restrictions earlier this month, allowing malls and shops to reopen and delaying the start of overnight curfews to 9:30 pm.
Also, restaurants and coffee shops remain closed to customers but are allowed to engage in takeaways or delivery orders.
According to reports, a full lockdown will be briefly reimposed at the end of July for the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday before being entirely lifted.
However, some medical experts fear a return to normal life is premature as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise, reaching over 100,000 with more than 4,000 deaths.
The pandemic overwhelmed Iraqi hospitals, already strained by decades of back-to-back conflicts and poor investment.
It crippled Iraq’s modest private sector while oil sales – which the government relies on for more than 90 percent of its state revenues — were hit hard by the collapse in crude prices.
As at Thursday morning, Iraq recorded 102,226 infections and 4,122 deaths.
