KTFA: 

Samson:  The Death Of 6 Employees Of The Iranian Central Bank Of Corona

6th March, 2020

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Abdel Nasser Hamti, stated today, Friday, that 6 of the bank's employees have died recently due to infection with Corona virus.

According to the information received so far, 6 of my dear colleagues in the banking system have died of the Coronavirus while serving people," he said in a tweet posted on his Instagram page.

On the death of these soldiers, I extend my deepest condolences to their dear families, managers and colleagues for serving the people in the branches of the country's banks," Abdel Nasser Hamiti added.

He continued: “Despite the risks of working in the bank’s branches, we are witnessing the efforts made by our colleagues in the banking system to serve people, especially in the bank’s branches.”

The Iranian government had reduced working hours by half in banks and government departments last week to curb the spread of the Corona virus, but the National Committee to Combat Corona during its meeting on Thursday canceled the decision to return official hours as before and recommended that leave be given alternately to employees.   LINK

Samson:  Corona closes the Sulaymaniyah Stock Exchange and hit the game "Domino"

6th March, 2020

The Sulaymaniyah Health Directorate decided on Thursday to close the "stock exchange" market in the city, as well as ban some games such as dominoes in cafes and public places to limit the outbreak of the new Corona virus

A spokesman for Sulaimaniyah Health, Yad Naqshbandand, told Shafaq News, that Sulaimaniya Health decided to "close the old stock markets in Sulaymaniyah", which are markets where currency exchange takes place

He added that health also decided to "prevent some games, such as the domino game in cafes and public places, and reduce crowding in markets and public places in Sulaymaniyah

On Thursday, Iraq recorded three new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number to 41, of whom 3 died in Baghdad and one in Sulaimaniya

The injuries are distributed as follows: 14 Baghdad, 8 Sulaymaniyah, 7 Kirkuk, 4 Najaf, 3 Wasit, 2 Diyala, 1 Maysan, 1 Karbala and 1 Babel  LINK

Iobey777:  Hmmm... wondering if this is really all about the “virus”.... IMO!

******************

Samson:  Corona threatens to postpone the parliamentary sessions that will resume next Monday

06/3/2020 18:13:38

 A deputy from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan bloc said today, Friday, that the date for the first session of the next legislative term has not been decided.

Representative Hassan Ali said in a press statement that "the council has not yet decided the date for the first session of the new legislative term, noting that the extraordinary session that was held to vote on the government of Tawfiq Allawi was within the current legislative recess." Alli added that "the legislative holiday will end next Monday 9-3-2020, noting that the new Corona Virus may postpone the holding of parliament sessions if its spread is not controlled." The civil defense teams had implemented a campaign to disinfect and sterilize the parliament building to prevent the spread of the Corona virus inside it.

It is noteworthy that the government crisis cell revealed today that "the number of cases infected with 38 Corona virus and two died after examining more than 400 suspected cases." It is noteworthy that the Reuters news agency reported that the number of people infected with the Corona virus globally exceeded 100,000.   LINK

******************

Samson:  Calls in Basra not to close all banks to avoid gatherings

5th March, 2020

The Public Health Promotion Division in Basra Governorate called for not closing all banks except for one of them, and consequently the latter is witnessing crowdedness in the number of auditors in the presence of fear of corona infection.

The Director of the Division, Raya Habib, through Al-Murbed, called on the concerned authorities to organize the work of employees of all banks by 50%, and thus the auditors' entry of the banks in a way that does not lead to overcrowding in one place, in order to ensure that no human gatherings, especially in a closed place, occur.   LINK

Samson:  Sistani cancels Friday prayers for the first time in 17 years

6th March, 2020

The supreme religious authority in Iraq did not perform Friday prayers today, for the first time since the fall of the former President Saddam Hussein in 2003, for fear of spreading the new Corona virus, according to the Shiite authorities.

Fearing the outbreak of Covid-19 disease in Iraq, which resulted in the death of three people and the injury of 38 others, the religious authorities in the holy city of Karbala among the Shiites announced the closure of the mosque of the shrine of Imam Hussein, where the Friday prayer is usually held. But despite that, the plate that connects the shrine of Imam Al-Hussein and his brother Al-Abbas remained open to visitors who came in large numbers today, Friday, according to eyewitnesses. For France Press previously prevented, from Friday, the entry of non-residents of Karbala to the province.

An official at the Husseiniya threshold indicated that “stopping the performance of Friday prayers, today, is occurring for the first time since 2003”, which was also confirmed by sources close to Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani. Sistani, who does not appear in public, has previously allocated part of the Friday sermons prior to the health situation in Iraq, where about 40 million people live, amid a chronic shortage of medicine, medicine and hospitals.

In Najaf, the shrine of Imam Ali was opened to visitors, after severe pressure from the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who gathered thousands of his supporters to hold Friday prayers in the Kufa mosque, according to eyewitnesses, but that al-Sadr did not attend the prayer, and he merely sent a representative.

In Samarra, where the two military imams are located north of Baghdad, the religious authorities canceled a second visit, scheduled for this week, in a decision they had taken last February. 

 Iraq is particularly afraid of the spread of the epidemic in places of Shiite shrines and shrines that millions of visitors visit, especially from Iran. Trips to Iran, one of the countries worst hit by the epidemic, were also banned, and Tehran announced Friday, 4,747 cases of HIV and 124 deaths.  LINK

******************

Samson:  The suspension of official working hours in all Iraqi government institutions until the 15th of this month

Localities 03/2020 2020 18:54 3653 Editor: ht   
Baghdad today - Baghdad

The Crisis Cell announced, Friday (06 March 2020), the suspension of official working hours in all government institutions until the 15th of this month.

The semi-official Al-Iraqiya channel reported that "the crisis crisis cell recently formed to face the Corona virus threat meant to extend the disruption of official working hours in all government institutions to the 15th of this month, with the exception of security and health institutions."

Earlier, the Ministry of Higher Education decided, on Friday, to extend the suspension of private universities and colleges until next Thursday. The ministry said in a statement, "As a result of the circumstances the country is going through and for preventive and precautionary reasons from the Corona Virus, the opinion committee at the Ministry of Higher Education instructed to extend the postponement of working hours for students of primary and higher studies until Thursday, March 12, and to all government and private universities and colleges in all Iraqi governorates." "

. The Ministry of Health had confirmed, on Thursday (5 March 2020), that 35 cases of Corona virus had been recorded in Iraq so far, two of whom had died, while it had indicated that the risk of the virus would be greater for certain groups.

The ministry’s spokesman, Saif Al-Badr, said in a visual video, that “Corona virus infections that were diagnosed inside Iraq amounted to 35 cases so far. Two deaths occurred due to the virus infection, the first for a patient with immune problems in advanced stages and the other for a 65-year-old man. He has health and breathing problems. "

He explained that "these groups are among the high levels of risk that we always focus on, and they are the elderly, children and those with chronic diseases such as cancerous diseases, kidney failure or immunological disorders, as the probability of their injury and reaching the stage of complications and deaths among them is higher than other categories."

Al-Badr pointed out that "the percentage of deaths recorded globally by the Coronavirus, about 3% of the total infections, that is, every 100 patients die, only 3 of them die, and this follows the patient's health condition, diet, level of immunity and whether he has chronic diseases or not."

He pointed out, "The most important recommendation that should reach every Iraqi citizen to prevent corona virus is to wash hands frequently with soap and water and whenever the opportunity arises. If soap is not available, any sterile substance containing alcohol can be used in its composition, in addition to using tissue paper that is used The one and get rid of it in a correct way. "

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health stressed the need to "avoid crowded places and public events such as weddings and condolences, and any human gathering including demonstrations," noting that the virus "is transmitted through droplets or droplets flying from the infected mouth or nose, and this is the main means of transmission from a person etc".

He stressed the importance of "adherence to public hygiene and the wearing of high-risk groups (the elderly, children, cancer patients, immunology and kidney failure) for muzzles as well as those with regular flu," explaining that "wearing a muzzle is not a duty for everyone, but it is also for the specific groups mentioned."

Al-Badr continued, "The signs of corona disease are similar to the symptoms of the flu, but they are more severe, such as high temperatures, pain, headache, shortness of breath and cough that can lead to complications leading to death." He called on the media, pages of communication sites, artists, bloggers and public figures to convey these recommendations And instructions to their fans.   LINK

****************

Samson:  Trump admits: Corona will hit the US economy ... but we will find a solution

6th March, 2020
US President Donald Trump said that the US economy may be affected negatively by the outbreak of the Corona virus, but he expected to eventually bypass it and defend its handling of the crisis.

Asked if the Corona virus had hurt the economy, Trump replied: "There is no doubt that it may affect, and at the same time, I must say that people now stay in the United States and spend their money in it, and I like it." He added, “The matter will find its way to a solution, everyone should calm down .. We have plans for every possibility and I think this is our duty, we hope that it will not last long.”

Trump reiterated that the travel restrictions imposed by China at the beginning of the crisis have helped to reduce The outbreak in the United States. Trump appeared on an event organized by "Fox News", as part of his campaign for the 2020 elections, in front of an audience from Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of the undisputed states that helped the Republican president win the White House race in 2016.

The spread of the Corona virus has led to sharp falls in the stock market, and fueled fears of an economic downturn, as Trump calls on Americans to elect him for a second term. The death toll from the Corona virus in the United States rose to 12 on Thursday, while it discovered 53 new cases across the country.   LINK

Don961:  Ban entry of nationals of four additional countries to Iraq

3 hours ago  |  4,330 views   Shunem Abdullah Khoshnaw

Rudaw - Erbil 

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today, Friday, that four additional countries are not allowed to enter it, raising the number of countries whose citizens are prohibited from entering 13 countries.

A foreign ministry spokesman, Ahmed al-Sahaf, said in a statement that "the entry of foreign arrivals from Turkey, France, Spain and Nigeria has been stopped."

He explained by this, "The number of countries whose nationals are prohibited from entering Iraq becomes 13," noting that it "excludes from the ban the diplomatic and official delegations."

The Crisis Cell announced today, Friday, that the number of cases infected with the Corona virus has so far reached 38, after examining more than 400 cases, while two deaths were recorded.
 
On February 28, Iraq decided to prevent citizens from traveling to 9 countries: China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Kuwait, and Bahrain, with the exception of official and foreign delegations and diplomatic agencies, as well as a ban on entry to foreigners from countries that recorded HIV infections.

The mysterious virus appeared in China for the first time on December 12, 2019 in Wuhan, but Beijing officially revealed it in mid-January.   LINK