Wearing masks becomes mandatory in Iran
The Iranian government is planning to make the use of face masks mandatory in indoor spaces. In the past 24 hours, Iran has had the second highest number of deaths from COVID-19 in the world. About 3,000 patients are reported to be in critical condition.
According to statistics from the Iranian Ministry of Health, 2,489 new patients have been added to the number of COVID-19 patients in Iran in the past 24 hours. Of these, 1,406 people have been hospitalized in medical centers across the country. According to Sima Lari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, 144 patients with COVID-19 have lost their lives in the past 24 hours (July 27-28).
A look at Johns Hopkins University statistics shows that, considering the death toll in the past 24 hours, Iran has recorded the highest death toll from COVID-19 after Mexico. According to official statistics, the condition of 2,946 COVID-19 patients in Iran is reported to be serious.
The Iranian Ministry of Health has declared the coronavirus pandemic status in the provinces of Khuzestan, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Hormozgan, and Kermanshah as "red," and the provinces of Bushehr, Ilam, East Azerbaijan, and Khorasan Razavi as "alert."
Qom University of Medical Sciences has also warned about the risk of a resurgence of the coronavirus in Qom province, citing a threefold increase in the number of people requesting coronavirus tests.
With the number of people infected with COVID-19 increasing across the country, the government is looking to make face masks mandatory in indoor places. Hassan Rouhani announced at the Coronavirus Fight Headquarters on Sunday, July 28: “Arrangements are going to be made starting next week to make masks mandatory in places where there are gatherings or are indoor, from July 5th until the end of the month.”
According to Hassan Rouhani, wearing masks will be mandatory for two weeks and, if necessary, until the end of August. Iran has been struggling with the coronavirus pandemic since last February, and many experts have long warned that government measures are not enough to manage the pandemic.
Other countries, such as South Korea, made wearing face masks mandatory in public from the beginning of the pandemic and began crisis management by implementing travel restrictions and increasing the capacity of laboratories to conduct coronavirus tests.
Iran currently ranks 91st in the world in terms of the number of tests conducted per million people and does not have a written plan for quarantine or movement restrictions in the event of an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
Hassan Rouhani claimed on Sunday that Iran has done a “huge job” in containing the coronavirus compared to the rest of the world. He called on “all businesses and all people” to observe health rules, saying: “We have no other choice. The only way is to take care and observe health rules.”
Last month, after the pandemic situation in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan turned red, Hassan Rouhani emphasized that there was no choice but to observe health principles and that the country's economic activities would not be restricted.
He said on Sunday that according to one of the new resolutions of the National Headquarters for Combating Corona, if the pandemic situation in a county turns red, the provincial headquarters can propose one-week restrictions, with the coordination that will be made, and with the information and approval of the president, the restrictions will be implemented for one week or can be extended.
Source: DW
