The announcement comes a day before Iran is scheduled to reopen “low-risk” businesses in a move aimed at protecting its sanctions-hit economy.
Employees of a restaurant wearing masks stand outside thier eatery shop (Photo: AFP)
Iran on Friday announced another 122 deaths from the novel coronavirus, taking the overall count in the Middle East’s worst-hit country to 4,232.
The health ministry said 1,972 people tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in the past 24 hours, putting the total at 68,192.
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In a televised new conference, spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said, “In the last 24 hours, we have unfortunately seen an increase in cases of disease in perhaps five to eight tourist provinces, including Tehran”.
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The announcement comes a day before Iran is scheduled to reopen “low-risk” businesses in a move aimed at protecting its sanctions-hit economy.
Iran announced its first coronavirus cases on February 19.
In response to the health crisis, Iran shut schools and universities as well as cinemas, stadiums and revered Shiite Muslim shrines.
On April 4, Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament had tested positive for the deadly virus.
The outbreak of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in Iran is one of the deadliest outside of China, where the virus originated late last year.
China has reported 42 new coronavirus cases, including 38 imported infections, taking the total tally to 81,907, health officials said on Friday, as the country started a new trial of re-testing the recovered COVID-19 patients amid heightened concern of a rebound of the deadly disease.
Meanwhile, the death toll from COVID-19 exceeded 90,000 worldwide on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Iran has been the worst-hit country in the Middle East by the outbreak of COVID-19, or novel coronavirus.
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