Top cleric calls for joint effort to stem virus spread

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most senior Shiite cleric in Iraq, called Friday on the Iraqi people to cooperate in achieving a broad national effort to stop and prevent the spread of the new virus. His message came in a sermon, delivered by his representative Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalai, during Friday prayers in the city of Karbala.

Iraq has taken drastic measures to stem the spread of the new virus, including closing schools and universities for ten days.

The government also banned public gatherings and ordered the closures of cinemas, cafes, clubs and other social forums for the same period.

This followed the announcement on Thursday of the first positive case in the capital Baghdad.

This brought the number of cases in Iraq to five - all of them involving travellers who had previously been in Iran.