Neighbors Close Borders with Iran as Virus Concerns Rise

Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Armenia closed their land borders with Iran on Sunday as officials in Tehran reported three new deaths and 15 new cases from the new coronavirus in one day.

Armenia is closing its border with Iran for two weeks and suspending air traffic after reports of coronavirus cases there, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Facebook post on Sunday.

Pakistan has sealed its Taftan border and stopped pilgrims from traveling via the crossing to Iran.

Afghanistan on Sunday also suspended all travel to and from Iran after officials reported three suspected cases of coronavirus among Afghans who had returned from Iran recently.

Jordan has barred entry to the country to any citizens of China, Iran, and South Korea over the new coronavirus.

Turkmenistan has closed its land border with Iran, an Iranian official said.

The Government of Georgia has made a decision to suspend direct flights with Iran amid the recent coronavirus outbreak. The Georgian authorities made a decision to temporarily restrict travel to and from Iran for now. Iranian tourists, currently staying in Georgia will be delivered home by empty planes that will be allowed to enter the Georgian air space. No restrictions will be imposed on movement by land.

Turkey has closed its border with Iran and halted incoming flights as a precaution to stop the potential spread of coronavirus after the neighboring country reported 43 cases of the disease, the health minister said on Sunday.  All highways and railways were closed as of 5 p.m. (14:00 GMT) and flights from Iran suspended, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters. Flights from Turkey to Iran are still allowed. There are three main land crossings along the roughly 500 km (310 mile) border between Turkey’s southeast and Iran’s northwest.

Turkish Airlines has made correspondence with travel agencies, saying that until further notice all Turkish Airlines, depurating from Iran are cancelled.

Iraq has extended an entry ban for any non-Iraqis coming from Iran, the prime minister said, as authorities in Tehran announced 15 more cases of coronavirus and a death toll of eight. Baghdad had banned crossings by non-Iraqis from Iran on Thursday for three days and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Saturday night that the ban would be extended. He did not specify until when.
“The prime minister ordered the ... halting of receiving travelers from the Islamic Republic of Iran except for Iraqis,” his office said in a statement. Iran has suspended religious pilgrimage trips to Iraq. Iraqi Airways suspended flights to Iran. - Reuters, Aljazeera, Arab News, Agenda.ge, Zommit, The national, Euro News