09 August 2020 – Updated preventive measures for the city of Najaf

Type of Intervention: Executive Order
Sectors Involved: Education, Executive Office, Health, Indigenous Peoples, Local Government, Private Sector and Businesses
Intervention Categories: Social and physical distancing measures; Adapting or closing schools; International travel measures
Level of Jurisdiction: City
Lead People/Agency: Governor of Najaf, Louay Al-Yasiri, and in the presence of the Second Deputy Governor Talal Bilal, the heads of the universities of Kufa and Jabir Yin Hayyan, the assistant director general of the Health Department Alaa Al-Kaabi, the Dentists Syndicate, and the rest of the members from the heads of the security and service departments.

Overview: The Crisis Cell in Najaf announced a set of decisions that it took during its meeting held today on the preventive measures regarding the pandemic. Among the decisions are the following:

1- The working hours in the state departments should be according to the powers of the director of the department, in a way that contributes to the completion of the work and does not result in a high number of employees working. As for the health and security departments, the working time is 100%.

2- Emphasis on following up the isolated and quarantined sick cases by primary health care sectors and centers.

3- The opening of a laboratory for examining arrivals through Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Airport was discussed, and it was emphasized that it would examine non-Iraqi arrivals with costs that are similar to the one on Iraqis at airports in the countries of these arrivals.

4- Emphasizing that the cell fully adopts – the statement of the office of the Supreme Reference of Sistani regarding the Hussaini councils and health procedures during the days of Ashura.

5- Calling the General Directorate of Education to set a plan for conducting the ministerial general examinations in the month of September.

6- With regard to private schools and some of them holding tuition classes, it was decided to address the General Directorate of Education to legalize these tuition courses, and public health must set clear determinants to work accordingly.

7- Discussing the issue of control checkpoints and emphasizing that they represent a concern and obsession for the crisis cell, taking into account that the checkpoints often fall under the influence of government agencies that do not accept them to allow visitors to enter, as happened during Eid, while the citizen does not realize this and the blame falls on the workers in the checkpoints.

8-It was decided to form a special team from the Police Command to provide support to the Crisis Cell Operations Room when implementing closure orders on violating stores.

9- Approaching the Doctors Syndicate for the purpose of informing doctors to provide a record of infected or suspected cases of the disease that contains information to ease communicating with these cases as well as urging them to cooperate with health authorities for the purpose of following up with them.

On the other hand, the Crisis Cell in Basra announced that the official working hours in the governorate will be 10%.
Full details here: https://www.alsumaria.tv/news/%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D8%A7-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82/354405/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%81

Other links: 1
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Evidence/Justification: Due to the increase of the number of cases.