Iran has surpassed the 12,000 dead mark for the new coronavirus, authorities on Wednesday (July 8th) announced that it plans to return restrictions to the capital Tehran to contain the spread of the virus.
Read also: Coronavirus: Iran announces a new record with 200 dead in 24 hours
The Islamic Republic, which officially confirmed its first cases of coronavirus in February, remains by far the country most affected by the pandemic in the Near and Middle East. Iran has been facing an increase in new confirmed cases and deaths for several weeks. Ministry of Health spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 153 new deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total to 12,084.
Lari also announced 2,691 new people who tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours. This brings the total of officially confirmed cases to 248,379 in Iran. According to the spokesperson, nine of the 31 Iranian provinces are classified as " red ", the highest category in the country's virus risk scale.
Ten others are also on alert, she added, naming the province of Tehran which also has the Iranian capital. " Tehran is facing a very fragile situation ," said coordinator of the fight against the disease in Tehran Aliréza Zali, quoted by the news agency ISNA. " The number of infections, deaths and hospitalizations has increased more and more in the past 10 days, " he said, suggesting that new restrictions would soon be reintroduced to contain the virus.
To fight against the spread of the epidemic, the Iranian authorities never imposed confinement of the population but decreed a series of restrictions (prohibition of the gatherings, in particular religious but also sports, limitation of the economic activity and displacements among others).