[custom_adv] An Iraqi student and his fiancee enlisted the help of the police to rescue their wedding after it was nearly cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ahmed Khaled al-Kaabi, 23, had been engaged to Ruqaya Rahim since last year. The couple were planning to hold a big celebration with family and friends in the holy southern city of Najaf. [custom_adv] But their plans were shut down after Iraqi authorities ordered a curfew to slow the spread of coronavirus, banning large public gatherings and closing down wedding halls. [custom_adv] Mr al-Kaabi came up with an alternative plan to postponing the wedding and asked local security forces to help him. Police provided the groom with vehicles for a procession, complete with music, and transported Ms Rahim to the family home for a tiny celebration of just six people. [custom_adv] Louay Al Yasiri, governor of Najaf, told a state news agency that the city was dealing with a shortage of medical supplies but the outbreak was "still under control". [custom_adv] Najaf accounts for a little more than 20 percent of Iraq’s total number of cases, making it among the worst-hit cities in the Middle East by the pandemic. According to the Health Ministry, there are 257 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the province, with five deaths.
