INTERNATIONAL - Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called
on Saturday for big gatherings such as weddings and wakes to be
banned to stem a rise in coronavirus infections, but insisted
the country's economy had to stay open.
Shortly after Rouhani’s televised speech, a police official
in Tehran announced the closure of all wedding and mourning
venues in the capital until further notice.
Iran has been gradually relaxing its lockdown since
mid-April, but has recently reported a sharp rise in the
infection rate.
The death toll on Saturday rose by 188 over the previous 24
hours to 12,635, while the total number of diagnosed cases
reached 255,117, up by 2,397 during the same period, Health
Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV.
“We must ban ceremonies and gatherings all over the country,
whether it be wakes, weddings or parties,” Rouhani said.
“Now is not the time for festivals or seminars,” he said,
adding that even university entrance exams may have to be
suspended.
Rouhani and other officials have blamed the rise in
infections partly on wedding parties, wakes and other public
gatherings.
An advisor to Iran’s Coronavirus Task Force warned that if
appropriate measures were not taken, between 50,000 and 60,000
people could die from the pandemic.
“The second wave, which will occur in the fall, will be much
more deadly,” said the advisor, Hossein Qenaati, according to
the semi-official ISNA news agency.
While struggling to curb the spread of COVID-19, Iranian
authorities are concerned that tougher measures could wreck an
economy already reeling under U.S. sanctions.
“The easiest option is to shut down everything,” Rouhani
said. “But then people will pour into the streets because of
hunger and unemployment.”