Thousands of pilgrims clad in black marched through the streets of Baghdad on Wednesday, part of a weeklong procession to a revered shrine, bypassing barbed wire set up by security forces and spurring fears of another wave of coronavirus on the heels of the papal visit. Crowds of men and women defied the tight security measures imposed by Iraqi authorities to contain the spread of the virus during the annual pilgrimage, expected to reach its peak number of worshippers during the day to commemorate the death of Imam al-Kadhim, a revered figure in Shiite Islam.

Also on Wednesday, a grenade was tossed near the Imam Bridge in Baghdad, killing a woman and wounding 11 pilgrims. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. The bridge is located on the Tigris River, connecting the predominately Sunni Adhamiya area to Kadhimiya, which is mostly Shiite. Iraq is in the midst of another wave of the coronavirus, spurred chiefly by a more infectious strain that was first discovered in the U.K. The country has imposed a full lockdown from Friday to Sunday, and partial curfew beginning at 8 p.m. and ending at 5 a.m., for the rest of the week. Non-essential businesses, as well as schools and mosques, are to be closed during this time under the restrictions. (AP)