Old habits imperil Iraq as doctors warn of second coronavirus wave

Old habits imperil Iraq as doctors warn of second coronavirus wave

BAGHDAD: In the busy emergency room of Baghdad's main public hospital, Ali Abbas stood face uncovered, waiting for his sickly father. Dozens of other patients and their relatives mingled without masks. It's a scene that confounds health workers in Iraq, who warn that the country is entering a new wave of coronavirus cases, in part because many shirk precautions. "I don't believe in the coronavirus, I believe in God," the 21-year-old Abbas said in the middle of the hospital floor, defying the facility's rules requiring masks. On Friday, Iraq was under its first full day of a new curfew imposed by the government in response to infection rates that have shot back up again after easing last autumn. The curfew runs all day Friday to Sunday, and from 8 p. m. to 5 a. m. the rest of the week. Mosques and schools are closed, large gatherings prohibited, and the wearing of masks and other protective gear will be enforced, according to a statement from the government. A complete lockdown, including closing airports and borders, is also being considered, two government officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. New cases, down