Residents resort to panic buying after curfew order in Erbil

Shafaq News / Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region witnessed widespread demand on Monday for the purchase of household needs, especially with regard to foodstuffs, while local residents complained about the high prices, as it was observed that health measures were not taken seriously to face Corona virus outbreak.

Shafaq News Agency reporter in Erbil stated that the prices of foodstuffs increased in the markets, as residents began purchasing them before the start of the curfew, which will come into effect as of 6 p.m. and to last for a week.

Shafaq News reporter monitored the rise in the price of live chickens, which witnessed an increase from 3,000 to 3750,000 dinars per kilogram, before it ran out of the market, indicating that vegetable shops used the situation by selling goods to citizens with raising prices.

"We fear that the lockdown would be will be extended for more than six days," said Ahmed Ali, who was shopping in a popular market in Erbil, adding that "there is no supervision on the market as you see shop owners taking advantage of the situation."

With regard to the currency and exchange market, the US dollar currency has also witnessed a slight rise against the Iraqi dinar, in Erbil market for currency exchange, after yesterday, every hundred dollars at 12250 dinars today, the dollar rose today against the dinar to 1230 thousand.

Our reporter added that this comes at a time when citizens did not adhere to health procedures by wearing masks and gloves, according to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and Interior.

The regional authorities have re-imposed the curfew after the unprecedented increase in coronavirus, with the province Sunday recording 101 cases of the virus, the highest daily toll since the outbreak of the pandemic.