Eid al-Fitr holiday and the high risk of travel during the Corona crisis

While the Minister of Health has urged people not to travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the Ministry of Tourism has formed a “Travel Services Coordination Headquarters” ahead of Eid al-Fitr. However, the Governor of Lorestan has said that they are not accepting guests.

In Iran, next Sunday and Monday, the 4th and 5th of June, will be closed on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. Because Saturday falls between the two holidays, many offices and departments will also be closed on this day. This means that people will have a high chance of traveling.

This is apparently the “biggest concern” of the Iranian Health Ministry. Saeed Namaki, the Iranian Health Minister, has urged people not to travel during the Eid al-Fitr holiday. “Our biggest concern is that if we do not observe social distancing and protocols, we will again be caught in the grip of epidemics in the country,” he said.

Namaki clarified that “new travel means new COVID-19 infections.”

According to the Health Minister, in many parts of Iran, 90 percent of the population has not yet been infected. He continued: “If something new happens and, God forbid, this situation causes a new surge in the country, it will be really, really hard and exhausting for me and my colleagues.”

Simultaneously with the Minister of Health's statements, an institution called the "Travel Services Coordination Headquarters" affiliated with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism has announced on the eve of Eid al-Fitr that it will make the necessary arrangements to provide services to travelers during the holidays.

The headquarters stated in its announcement that it has "the necessary preparations for smart management" of Eid al-Fitr travel.

Part of this announcement states: "The Central Headquarters for the Coordination of National Travel Services, while advising people and travelers to fully comply with the health regulations and recommendations of the National Headquarters for the Management of the Corona Disease, requests them to undertake responsible and professional travel and, with the aim of supporting tourism activists, to obtain the services they need from the official and authorized chain of the tourism industry."

The headquarters' announcement stated that tourism centers have no restrictions on providing services. On May 20, the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts issued an order to reopen open-air accommodation camps and nature tourism sites.

Lorestan: We are sorry to not be accepting guests.

In an interview with ILNA, the deputy head of the political, security and social affairs department of the Lorestan governorate said, "We are currently unable to accept guests at the provincial level due to the serious situation in this province due to the coronavirus outbreak."

Mahmoud Samini said that Lorestan province is in a state of alert and in recent days, five counties - Khorramabad, Borujerd, Durud, Azna, and Chegini - have been in more severe conditions of the disease.

According to the deputy governor of Lorestan, a decision was made at a meeting of the provincial headquarters to close cemeteries, close businesses that do not comply with health protocols, and close parks and recreation areas in areas where the situation has become more severe.

It is also prohibited to hold funerals and weddings, as well as to print leaflets that lead to public gatherings.

Regarding Lorestan provincial offices, Samini also said that visitors are required to wear masks and gloves, otherwise they will be prevented from entering.

The deputy governor of Lorestan also stated that due to the new situation in the province, Friday prayers will not be held this week. This is despite the fact that Friday prayers were held in some cities of Lorestan last week, including Chegini, which has been facing a resurgence of the coronavirus this week.

Regarding the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Samini said: "We will not have any opportunity to receive tourists. We currently do not have any restrictions on movement in the province, and there are restrictions on movement in five counties that are in more severe conditions of the disease, but for now we are not allowed to receive guests in the province."

The outbreak of COVID-19 in Mazandaran remains serious.

According to the governor of Mazandaran, the province has not reached the stage of disease control and the disease is still serious.

Ahmad Hosseinzadegan said at a meeting of the Mazandaran Governorate on June 1 that about 300 patients with COVID-19 are currently hospitalized in hospitals in the province.

According to the governor of Mazandaran, on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr holidays, statistical surveys have shown that the number of travelers entering the province is increasing.

Mazandaran province also faced a large number of travelers during Nowruz, which led to an increase in the number of COVID-19 patients in the province.

Currently, according to the governor of Mazandaran, about 15 percent of patients infected with the coronavirus in Mazandaran province are hospitalized.

2,392 new patients in the last 24 hours

Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, announced on June 1 that the latest number of people infected with the coronavirus in Iran is 129,341.

Two thousand 392 new patients have been identified in the past 24 hours.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 has reached 7,249, and 66 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.

As of noon on June 1, 2,655 hospitalized patients are in critical condition.

Source: DW