COVID-19 paralyzes religious tourism in Iraqi Karbala

Iraqi authorities disinfected on Thursday gold-domed holy shrines in the city of Karbala, where religious tourism has nearly ground to a halt because of the new coronavirus. The shrines of Imam Hussein and his half-brother Imam Abbas were disinfected. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims visit the holy city of Karbala. But because of the new coronavirus, the city is nearly empty of tourists. Nearby hotels for pilgrims were almost deserted after authorities closed the borders to Ir