Iraqi religious bodies house patients instead of pilgrims to help fight COVID-19

A worker wearing a protective face shield checks an oxygen level at a factory, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the holy city of Kerbala, Iraq July 11, 2020. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - The holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, which used to host pilgrims from all around the world, is now quarantining dozens of COVID-19 patients in apartment buildings owned by Imam Hussein shrine, one of Iraq's most powerful religious authorities.

The shrine has also built 10 medical centres across the country and aims to build 10 more, to be put permanently at the disposal of the health ministry, adding 2,000 beds to the country's total capacity, said an official at the shrine.