Health Ministry Spokesperson: The November 13th march should definitely not be held
According to the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health, the spread of coronavirus will increase with the change of seasons, especially in the cold season. Sadat Lari emphasized that the November 13 march should not be held. He also expressed regret over the rally in Mashhad.
The third wave of the coronavirus outbreak in Iran, along with the beginning of the cold season, has led to an increase in the number of infections and deaths due to COVID-19.
The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Health stated in his press conference on Tuesday, November 26, that "if we continue in this same vein and do not want to implement the laws more seriously and impose restrictions, the prognosis will not be good."
Sima Sadat Lari called the recent death statistics "shocking" and stated that this has "created serious determination among officials."
Regarding the possibility of holding a march on November 13, the anniversary of the occupation of the US Embassy in Tehran by the "Imam Khat Students", the Deputy Minister of Health said: "The march on November 13 should definitely not be held, unless something else happens."
This is while the posters for the march for this day have also been prepared. The deputy head of the Islamic Propaganda Coordination Council said: "The ceremony will be held on November 3, at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, in front of the spy den, the former US embassy, and will be addressed by Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. We also emphasized that for the better implementation of this ceremony, it should be held by arranging chairs at a distance or by marking the street or square where the ceremony will be held."
“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 also truly sorry for yesterday's program in Mashhad. Everyone claims ignorance and we do not know who gave the permission. I could not believe it either. It is truly a crime that in these circumstances, when everyone is seeking to impose restrictions and create economic problems, everyone should increase their empathy. Many families are wage earners, while thousands of people gather in one space. We were unable to obtain information about who agreed to this ceremony."
On Monday, November 25, a ceremony titled "Eid of Pledge to the Imam of the Time" was held at the Imam Reza Stadium in Mashhad, with a speech by Ali Akbar Raefipour, a hardline and fundamentalist speaker. It is said that more than a thousand people attended the ceremony.
During the days of Tasua and Ashura, despite warnings from health authorities, holding mourning ceremonies led to an increase in the number of coronavirus infections.
25% of nurses infected with coronavirus
In another part of her speech, Sima Sadat Lari addressed the infection of medical staff with COVID-19, saying: "Out of 133,000 nurses and workers, approximately 31,000 have contracted the disease; this means that 25 percent of the population has fallen ill."
The Ministry of Health spokesman also stated that so far 694 hospitals across Iran have been affected by the 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 beds are available for coronavirus patients.
This comes as social media users from inside Iran are reporting numerous reports of a lack of beds for coronavirus patients. A journalist wrote on Instagram that his father has been in the emergency room for three days and there are no empty beds in the ward. Hospital staff have also said that either someone has to die or be discharged for a bed to become available.
Coronavirus restrictions for 43 cities
Sima Sadat Lari said about the possibility of businesses closing again: "It is not possible to close the entire country. No country is moving towards a complete shutdown."
According to this Ministry of Health official, color schemes have been considered for provinces and based on this classification, restrictions have been considered for 43 cities.
Sadat Lari said about the details of these restrictions: "These restrictions are similar to those at the beginning of the outbreak and in March, and almost all places except for shops that supply food have been declared closed for a week. It is not feasible to close all businesses again after about eight months since the virus came to our country, because people are also under economic pressure."
Damavand and Varamin; the epicenter of the crisis in Tehran
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Tehran province, the two counties of Damavand and Varamin are the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak crisis.
Regarding the city of Tehran, he said that due to its high traffic, teleworking should be implemented seriously, and ministries that cannot have 100% teleworking should announce the percentage they can implement.
346 deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours
According to the latest statistics from the Iranian Ministry of Health, 6,968 new COVID-19 patients have been identified in the country from yesterday to today, November 26. This brings the total number of people infected with the disease to 581,824.
According to the Ministry of Health spokesperson, the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in the past 24 hours was 346, bringing the total number of deaths to 33,299.
Sima Sadat Lari announced the number of patients under care in severe condition of the disease at 4,995.
The Ministry of Health spokesman also declared the provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azerbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardabil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azerbaijan, Markazi, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamedan, Yazd and Kurdistan to be in red status, and the provinces of Hormozgan, Fars, Golestan and Sistan and Baluchestan to be in orange and yellow status.
Source: DW
