The Iranian capital has been put under a partial lockdown that would last for two weeks amid a fresh surge in cases of the coronavirus.
Starting today, businesses, schools and gathering places close down after a red alert was issued for Tehran that indicates a rising wave in number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Tehran’s Governor Anoushirvan Mohseni, however, said a handful of businesses and government departments whose services are deemed necessary for daily life of more than eight million inhabitants of the city would remain open during the two-week partial lockdown.
The closures would affect theaters, cinemas, sport centers and even gatherings held prior to the start of the holy month of Ramadan which falls on April 14.
A total lockdown for Tehran was avoided because the capital city accommodates major national and international activities, the governor said.
The announcement comes amid a new wave across Iran of infections to the so-called British variant of COVID-19 which authorities blame on easing of restrictions on gatherings and travel during two weeks of Persian New Year holidays starting March 21.
Virus surge
Iran's health ministry on Friday reported 22,478 new COVID-19 cases, raising its nationwide caseload to 2,029,412.
The pandemic has so far claimed 64,039 lives in Iran, up by 155 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education, during her daily briefing.
A total of 1,693,005 people have recovered from the disease or been discharged from hospitals across the country, while 4,278 remain in intensive care units, she noted.
According to Lari, 13,494,296 tests have so far been carried out in Iran.
Currently, 257 Iranian cities are on red alert for a high risk of infection, while 129 others are on orange alert for a medium risk, the spokeswoman said.
Iran reported the first cases of COVID-19 in February 2020.