Iraq Closes Border Crossing with Iran over New COVID Strain Concerns
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iraqi government closed the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran to prevent the spread of a new strain of coronavirus.
The Iraqi authorities decided to close the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran on Thursday as part of travel ban restrictions to prevent the spread and transmission of the new strain of coronavirus to the Arab country.
Hakim Al-Mayahi, a local health official in Iraq’s Basra, said, “The local government in the province closed the Shalamcheh port with Iran to the movement of travelers, and canceled all travel exceptions, including patients and students.”
He confirmed that the travels at the border crossing had completely stopped, but noted that “the Shalamjah port is still open to the movement of commercial goods throughout the week without stopping, with strict preventive and health measures taken,” Trends Wide reported.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi government announced a 14-day travel ban to and from 8 countries, including Iran, with the exception of receiving Iraqi arrivals, and the closure of all border crossings to and from the countries covered by the ban.
