Baghdad, Jun 15 (IANS): The total number of COVID-19 infections in Iraq climbed on Sunday to 20,209, after the health ministry reported 1,259 new cases since Saturday.

The new cases were 587 in the capital Baghdad, 122 in Dhi Qar, 81 in Najaf, 79 in Maysan, 69 in Kirkuk, 51 in Basra and Sulaimaniyah each, 39 in Wasit, 38 in Karbala, 36 in Erbil, 32 in Diyala, 29 in Anbar, 12 in Salahudin, 10 in in Babil, nine in Duhok and Diwaniyah each, four in Nineveh and one in Muthanna, the ministry said in a statement, Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, 58 more died from the coronavirus during the day, with 29 in Baghdad's hospitals, bringing the death toll to 607, while a total of 8,121 patients have recovered, according to the statement.

The new cases were recorded after 9,920 testing kits were used across the country during the day. A total of 369,870 tests have been conducted since the outbreak of the disease.

A day earlier, the Iraqi authorities decided to partially lift the nationwide curfew from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. starting Sunday.

Other restrictions adopted in the country include demanding wearing masks, preventing religious and social gatherings, imposing fines and severe penalties on violators of the health instructions.