The Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Covid-19 in Cross-National Perspective
Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – April 29th, 2020 – The American University of Kurdistan’s Center for Peace and Human Security has published a policy paper about (The Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Covid-19 in Cross-National Perspective), conducted by Dr. Paul-Philippe Pare and Dr. Kerstin Tomiak.
Measures against the novel Corona-Virus were taken at an early stage of the pandemic in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reacted fast when being informed on the potential danger posed by the novel virus. While in some countries in Europe (notably Germany and the United Kingdom) and in the United States of America there are discussions about the drastic lockdown measures despite high numbers of victims, the KRI endured school- and university-closures, travel bans and lockdowns early on. This study examines the success of the KRG measures by comparing the KRI COVID-19 data with cross-national averages and with data from 7 selected countries. A cross-national comparison now shows the success of this approach.