Iran has surpassed the 13,000 dead mark for the new coronavirus, the health ministry in Tehran announced on Monday, calling for compliance with health rules. The Islamic Republic, which officially confirmed its first cases of coronavirus in February, is by far the country most affected by the pandemic in the Near and Middle East.
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With 203 additional deaths announced Monday, " the total number of victims has reached 13,032, " said Sima Sadat Lari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health. Sima Sadat Lari also announced 2,349 new people who tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of officially confirmed cases to 259,652.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Health once again called on the whole nation to respect social distancing, to wash their hands and to use masks. "The more time you spend in an overcrowded place, the more likely you are to contract the disease, " said Sima Sadat Lari.
Increase in contamination
Iran has been facing an increase in new confirmed cases and deaths for several weeks, which has prompted the authorities to make the wearing of the mask compulsory since July 4 in closed public places, including public transport. State television, whose presenters are now ostensibly wearing a mask, said Monday that the capital's police will prevent travelers without masks from entering the metro where the application of this new measure seemed difficult according to the authorities.
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The director of crisis management in the Shiite city of Qom (center) told the Tasnim agency on Monday that the authorities will strengthen control over banks and administrative offices in order to ensure the implementation of the protocols, including the wearing masks. To fight the spread of the epidemic, authorities first canceled rallies and closed non-essential schools and businesses in March, before gradually lifting restrictions from April to try to revive the stifled economy. by American sanctions.