An Iraqi tribe in the southern province of Muthanna prevented kissing on occasions and only shaking hands, as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.
A member of the opinion committee of the Al-Boujayash tribe, Sheikh Manafi Al-Jayashi, said that this decision taken by the sheikh of the entire tribe, Rajeh Rahim, was widely welcomed by all members of the tribe and from other tribes, stressing support for the government's actions in the face of this dangerous disease.
Kissing is getting a lot of attention in Iraq as in other countries, and it is a tradition that citizens have been used to for decades, especially on occasions.
The Iraqi authorities have taken a number of precautionary measures after recording cases and deaths of the Corona virus in Iran, including a ban on entry of Iranians to the country through border crossings, and the suspension of Iraqi Airways flights to Iran from the airports of the capital, Baghdad and Najaf.
Last January, Baghdad decided to prohibit people from China from entering the country, while its citizens from Wuhan, China, postponed the epicenter of the Corona outbreak, where they were kept for two weeks in quarantine.
The Iraqi government has not announced any confirmed cases of the virus so far.