Ban on Entering Karbala Remains in Place
Police spokesman Ala al-Ghanemi said the decision is in line with the recommendations of the crisis management aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, Baghdad Today reported.
Any gatherings of people is also banned, he added.
Every year, during the days leading to Ashura in the month of Muharram (began on August 21 this year), millions of pilgrims travel to Karbala to visit the holy shrines of Imam Hussein (AS) and Hazrat Abbas (AS) and mourn their martyrdom anniversary.
Shia Muslims around the world mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the Sayyid-ul-Shuhada (master of martyrs), in Muharram.
The third Shia Imam (AS) and a small group of his followers and family members were martyred by the tyrant of his time - Yazid Bin Moaweya, in the battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram (known as Ashura) in the year 680 AD.
The coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, has infected over 23 million people around the world and killed more than 812,000.
Iraq has reported more than 200,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 6,000 deaths from COVID-19 so far.
The outbreak has had a major impact on global sporting, cultural, religious and political events, with a host of events canceled or postponed.
