Health Ministry Spokesman: November 4 Rally Must Definitely Not Be Held
According to Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman, coronavirus will spread more with seasonal changes, particularly during winter. Sima Sadat Lari emphasized that the November 4 rally should not be held. She also expressed regret over a gathering held in Mashhad.
The third wave of coronavirus outbreak in Iran, coinciding with the onset of winter, has caused a rise in infection rates and deaths from COVID-19.
Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman stated in his press conference on Tuesday, October 27, that “if we continue on this path and refuse to enforce rules more seriously and impose restrictions, the outlook will not be good.”
Sima Sadat Lari described the death toll figures in recent days as “shocking” and stated that this has created “serious determination in officials.”
Regarding the possibility of holding the November 4 rally, marking the anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran by “followers of Imam’s line,” the Deputy Health Minister said: “The November 4 rally must definitely not be held, unless something else happens.”
This comes as posters for the rally have already been prepared. The acting head of the Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council stated: “The November 4 ceremony will be held at 3 PM on Tuesday in front of the espionage nest, the former U.S. embassy, with a speech by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. We have also emphasized that the ceremony be held by arranging chairs at a distance or by drawing lines on the street or in the square.”
“Holding the Ceremony in Mashhad Was a Crime”
Sima Sadat Lari, in response to a question about the ceremony held yesterday in Mashhad, said: “We are truly sorry about yesterday’s event in Mashhad. Everyone claims ignorance and we don’t know who gave permission. I could hardly believe it. It is truly a crime that under these conditions when everyone is trying to impose restrictions and facing economic hardships, everyone should show more solidarity. Many families are living day-to-day, yet thousands of people gather in one space. We were unable to find out who approved this ceremony.”
On Monday, October 26, a ceremony titled “Covenant Day with the Imam of the Age” was held with a speech by Ali Akbar Raefipour, a hardline and principlist speaker, at the Imam Reza Stadium in Mashhad. It is reported that more than a thousand people attended this ceremony.
During Tasua and Ashura as well, despite warnings from health authorities, holding mourning ceremonies caused an increase in coronavirus infections.
25 Percent of Nurses Infected with Coronavirus
Sima Sadat Lari, in another part of her remarks, addressed the infection of medical personnel with COVID-19 and said: “Out of 133,000 nurses and staff, approximately 31,000 people have been infected; this means 25 percent of the above population has become ill.”
The Health Ministry spokesman also stated that to date, 694 hospitals across Iran have been affected by coronavirus and 5,900 special beds and 1,868 isolation beds have been allocated to COVID-19 patients. According to him, in total, nearly 32 percent of the country’s total hospital beds are occupied by coronavirus patients.
This comes as social media users from inside Iran are publishing multiple reports of lack of beds for coronavirus patients. One journalist wrote on Instagram that her father has been hospitalized in the emergency room for three days and there are no empty beds in the ward. Hospital staff have also said that either someone must die or be discharged for a bed to become available.
Coronavirus Restrictions for 43 Districts
Sima Sadat Lari, regarding the possibility of closing businesses again, said: “Closing the entire country is not possible. No country is moving toward complete closure.”
According to this Health Ministry official, color codes have been considered for provinces, and based on this classification, restrictions have been considered for 43 districts.
Sadat Lari detailed these restrictions: “These restrictions are similar to the restrictions at the beginning of the disease outbreak and March, and almost all places except shops that supply food items have been announced closed for one week. Given that approximately eight months have passed since the virus came to our country, closing all businesses again is not practical; because people are also under economic pressure.”
Damavand and Varamin; Crisis Centers in Tehran
According to the Health Ministry spokesman, in Tehran province, two districts of Damavand and Varamin are crisis centers for the spread of coronavirus.
Regarding Tehran city, he said that due to its high traffic, remote work should be seriously implemented, and ministries that cannot have 100 percent remote work should announce what percentage they can implement.
346 Deaths from Coronavirus in the Last 24 Hours
Based on the latest figures from Iran’s Health Ministry from yesterday to today, October 27, 6,968 new COVID-19 patients have been identified in the country. Thus, the total number of people infected with this disease reached 581,824.
According to the Health Ministry spokesman, the number of deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours was 346, and the total death toll reached 33,299.
Sima Sadat Lari announced the number of patients under care in severe condition of this disease as 4,995.
The Health Ministry spokesman also announced Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azerbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardabil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Razavi Khorasan, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azerbaijan, Central, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamadan, Yazd, and Kurdistan provinces in red status and Hormozgan, Fars, Golestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces in orange and yellow status.
Source: DW
