Iraq Resumes Iran Flights after Easing COVID Restrictions

Iraqi Airways Company announced on Saturday the resumption of flights to and from Iran after a short halt due to coronavirus concerns, according to local media. Al-Forat news agency cited Iraqi Airways Company on Saturday that the Najaf-Tehran and Najaf-Mashhad routes have been reactivated after they were called off in mid-January due to the coronavirus concerns. Iraqi authorities banned flights with several countries, including Iran, as of January 14 due to concerns regarding the spread of a newly discovered coronavirus disease strain. Iran detected the first UK variant of the COVID-19 on January 5. So far, only five patients with the new strain have been identified. The country's daily coronavirus infections and death have been decreasing in the past weeks. Iran registered 75 deaths of the respiratory disease on Friday, marking a two-digit rate for the third week. - Mehr