Health workers in Iraq warn that the country is entering a new wave of coronavirus cases, in part because of many people shirking precautions.

New cases, down under 600 a day just a month ago, have sharply increased, reaching 3,896 a day on February 18 and approaching September’s daily peak of more than 5,000.

Doctors told The Associated Press they’ve seen the flare-up coming for weeks. They blame a careless public and a government unable to fully enforce virus protocols.

“I am a doctor fighting public ignorance, not the pandemic,” said Mohammed Shahada, a pulmonologist at Baghdad’s al-Zahra Hospital.

Read more here.