Trucks lined up at the Iraqi Kurdistan and Iranian border as it partially reopened for trade on Sunda, May 3, weeks after it was shut to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Trucks were disinfected as they passed through the Shushmi border, which links the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq with Iran, as the gates were reopened to cargo traffic under the supervision of a medical team and the police.
Around 280 trucks transporting food and construction materials passed through the Shushmi gate daily before it was closed on February 28, a border post employee told Reuters, adding that he expected this to resume.
Drivers welcomed the re-opening of the border, saying that many lost their jobs because of its closure. The border still remains closed for tourists and the regular passage of people.
Iraq has reported 2,296 cases of the coronavirus and 97 deaths far less than neighboring Iran which has seen 97,424 positive cases including 6,203 fatalities.