Coronavirus in Iran: Decrease in compliance with protocols, increase in red cities

Compliance with health protocols in Iran has reached its lowest level in five months and the number of new hospitalizations has reached its highest level in three months. The number of cities in the red zone for coronavirus has nearly doubled in about a week.

Nowruz shopping and travel in Iran is showing its negative impact on the increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations of those infected with COVID-19 earlier than feared.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health says that the downward trend in compliance with health guidelines began in late February and reached its lowest level in the past five months in the early days of Farvardin.

According to ISNA news agency, Sima Sadat Lari said on Sunday, April 28, that the rate of compliance with health protocols has dropped to slightly less than 58 percent, the lowest level since October 20. Some officials have put the rate as low as 56 percent.

Referring to the intensification of health inspections since the end of March, he added that in the week ending April 24, nearly 130,000 inspections were conducted of food supply, distribution, supply and sale centers, public places and workshop units, and "during this period, 16,550 cases of warnings and referrals to judicial authorities and 950 cases of sealing of these centers have been carried out."

Highest number of daily hospitalizations since December

According to Lari, the decrease in compliance with hygiene principles has led to an increase in cases of coronavirus, and this trend is alarming. He says that in the past 24 hours, 8,751 new cases of coronavirus have been identified, and 1,049 of them have been hospitalized.

The number of hospitalized people on the first day of Farvardin was 657. The last time this number exceeded the thousand mark was in the last days of Azar.

The increase in coronavirus cases, which is directly related to the increase in traffic and travel, and the lack of attention to observing health guidelines, is also evident in the changing coronavirus color scheme of cities.

On Saturday, the National Headquarters for Combating Corona published the latest color-coded map of different regions of Iran, according to which the number of red (very high-risk) and orange (high-risk) cities has increased significantly.

Doubling of red cities in the new year

A spokesman for the Ministry of Health announced the number of red cities as of Sunday at 23. This number has nearly doubled since the beginning of this year.

Sima Sadat Lari says that the number of orange cities has also increased from 39 to 44 in the new year. In parallel with these developments, the number of blue (low-risk) cities has decreased sharply in the past month, reaching 94 cities.

All evidence and data indicate that Iran is likely entering a new wave of the coronavirus outbreak. This has led officials to take more serious measures, especially to prevent unnecessary and recreational travel.

72-hour deadline for travelers from red and orange cities

The Deputy Minister of Health says that more than 23 million and 500 thousand people in 67 red and orange cities are in the red and orange zones, and this situation is worrying.

According to IRNA, Iraj Harirchi said on a television program on Sunday: "Traveling with non-local license plates to orange and red cities is prohibited, and those who have previously visited these cities also have 72 hours from the time of the announcement to leave these areas."

He emphasized that the metropolitan area of ​​Tehran has also entered an orange status, and under these conditions, "all schools, universities, seminaries, Friday and congregational prayers, and religious ceremonies must be closed," and fifty percent of office employees must work remotely.

Harirchi says that if the downward trend in compliance with health protocols continues, there is a possibility that the number of red and orange cities will increase, and given the spread of the mutated coronavirus in Iran, "there are serious concerns."

According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health, as of April 28, more than 1.855 million people have been identified as infected with the coronavirus in Iran, and nearly 62,400 people have died from COVID-19.

Source: DW