Gatherings on Sizdah Bedar Banned and Departure from Tehran Prohibited
The deputy commander of Iran’s traffic police announced in a television interview the implementation of traffic restrictions in Tehran and Karaj cities, stating that based on a circular from the Ministry of Health, these two cities are in orange alert status.
According to Timour Hosseini, starting Tuesday, the 10th of Farvardin, the entry of non-local vehicles into Tehran and Karaj and the exit of local vehicles from these cities is prohibited, and non-compliance with these restrictions will result in a fine of 500,000 tomans.
He also requested travelers present in Tehran and Karaj to leave these cities today.
Iranian government officials have thus far limited themselves to “recommending” that citizens observe health protocols and refrain from traveling, while reports indicate a significant increase in travel to various regions of the country during the coronavirus period.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, it was announced that gatherings on Sizdah Bedar are also banned in Tehran Province.
Hamid Reza Goodarzi, head of the security committee of the coronavirus management headquarters, has asked municipalities and law enforcement to take necessary measures to ensure people spend Nature Day at home.
On Wednesday, the 11th of Farvardin, domestic Iranian media reported from Sima Lari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, the identification of 10,330 new coronavirus patients in Iran, of whom 1,288 were hospitalized.
According to Ms. Lari, with 96 new deaths in the past 24 hours, the total number of coronavirus deaths in Iran has reached 62,665 people. She stated that the total number of coronavirus patients in Iran has reached 1,885,564 people.
During the Nowruz holidays, intercity travels and gatherings caused the number of cases to again reach three digits and increased the number of cities in red or orange alert status.
Based on the latest announcement from the National Coronavirus Taskforce on Saturday, the 7th of Farvardin, in recent days the status of 23 cities changed to red and 44 cities changed to orange, and travel to and from these 67 cities across the country has been prohibited.
According to the coronavirus taskforce’s definition, in red or “very high-risk” status, at least 10 people per 100,000 residents in a city, and in orange or “high-risk” status, at least six people per 100,000 residents in a city have been hospitalized due to coronavirus infection.
Iranian Ministry of Health officials consider Nowruz travels and reduced adherence to health protocols as the main reasons for the increase in coronavirus cases in the country.
Iraj Harirchi, deputy minister of Iran’s Ministry of Health, on Sunday, the 8th of Farvardin, while pointing out that currently 23.5 million people are in cities with red and orange coronavirus status, stated that travelers in these cities have 72 hours to leave them.
Source: Radio Farda
