Iranian President Hassan Rohani announced Saturday the resumption of collective prayers in the mosques of his country, where the epidemic of Covid-19 seems to start on the rise.
" It was decided to open mosques throughout the country and not only in the white areas, which gives believers the opportunity to say their daily prayers while respecting the rules (of hygiene) that are required " said Rohani in a TV address, without giving further details.
Gradual lifting of restrictions
Middle East country hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, Iran began easing population restrictions in April to fight the spread of the epidemic and classifying the territory as white areas , orange-yellow and red reflecting a greater or lesser presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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Gradually closed throughout the Islamic Republic in the weeks following the announcement of the first cases of Covid-19 in February, the mosques had been authorized to reopen during Ramadan (April 25 to May 24), in the white areas, but only for individual prayers.
Some exemptions for collective prayers and outside the white zones had been granted, in particular for the feast of Fitr, which marks the end of the month of the Muslim fast.
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While all Iranian officials still working from home were supposed to physically resume their job in their administration on Saturday, Rohani announced the lifting of time restrictions requiring shopping centers to close at 6 p.m.
The Iranian president also warned the population against the temptation to believe that the country was rid of the virus, warning that it was here to stay.
He urged the population to scrupulously respect the rules of social distancing.
According to the latest official figures announced on Saturday by the Ministry of Health, the virus has killed 57 more people since Friday, bringing the toll of the pandemic in Iran to 7,734 dead.
In the past 24 hours, 2,282 new virus infections have been reported nationwide, bringing the number of cases officially reported in Iran since February to 148,950.
Official figures show an acceleration of the spread of the disease since the beginning of May. On Friday, the number of new daily cases announced reached a high in almost two months, at 2,819 people.