The government announced sweeping measures late Wednesday upon the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in the capital Baghdad.
In a try to contain the spread of the virus, schools and universities, cafes, cinemas and other public spaces are to be closed until March 7.
It also banned travel to or from some of the worst affected countries, including China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Iraq had already blocked entry for foreigners travelling from neighboring Iran, the main source of Coronavirus infections in the Middle East, or China.
The health ministry said the first case in Baghdad was in a young man who had recently returned from Iran.
Iran has reported 19 fatalities from 139 infections, the highest death toll outside China.
The patient was placed under quarantine in a Baghdad hospital and is currently “in good health,” it said in a statement.
Many hospitals in Iraq are poorly equipped or in disrepair and there are fewer than 10 doctors for every 10,000 people, the World Health Organization says.
Baghdad is the Arab world’s second most populous city after the Egyptian capital Cairo.
The health ministry advised against large gatherings, urging officials to take steps to “restrict intermixing,” a move that may deal a blow to anti-government protests that have gripped Baghdad and southern Iraq since October.
