Iran suspends flights from Iraq over Covid strain

Tehran, March 15 (IANS) The Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced that all flights to the country from Iraq have been suspended for a week in an effort to curb the spread of a Covid-19 strain.This decision was made on Sundat as a pre-emptive measure to protect the the Iranian citizens against the variant which was first detected in Britain late last year, Xinhua news agency quoted the Organization as saying in a statement.All the airlines are required to inform their passengers about the new measure in a timely manner, it added.Last month, Iraq resumed flights to Tehran, as restrictions on issuing flight permits to Iranian airlines were lifted.Iraqi authorities banned flights with several countries, including Iran, on January 14 due to concerns over the spread of a newly-discovered coronavirus disease strain.
--IANS ksk/