(Tehran) Iran has surpassed the bar of 12 00 0 dead from the new coronavirus, authorities said on Wednesday that they plan to return restrictions to the capital Tehran to contain the spread of the virus.
Posted on July 8 2020 at 8 a.m. 15
France Media Agency
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.
On Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Sima Sadat Lari, announced 153 new deaths which bring the total number of deaths to 12 084.
M me Lari also announced 2691 news people 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 this spokesperson, nine of the 31 Iranian provinces are classified as “red”, the highest category in the scale the risk of viruses in the country.
Ten others are also on alert, she added, naming Tehran province which also has the Iranian capital.
“Tehran is facing a very fragile situation”, said the 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 during 10 the last few days, ”he lamented, suggesting that new restrictions would soon be reintroduced to contain the virus.
To combat the spread of the epidemic, the Iranian authorities have never imposed population containment, but have decreed a series of restrictions (prohibition of gatherings, in particular religious, but also sports, limitation of the economic activity and travel among others).