Iran imposes new restrictions as COVID-19 deaths surpass 30,000

Tehran, Iran – “The second time I was dealing with the virus, one night I was in so much pain that I said my prayers before going to sleep because I felt like I might not see another morning,” says Tehran resident Sadaf Samimi. The 29-year-old journalist told Al Jazeera she first tested positive for COVID-19 in July at her workplace and has since been working from home. But in early September, she got sick a second time with the coronavirus after she met two of her close friends, who had been isolating at home. One of her friends had shopped for groceries at a large market, where they might have contracted the virus. Samimi said she experienced a shortage of breath and the symptoms of a strong cold the first time she was infected, but getting through the second time was a much more painful experience, marked by severe body pains and a splitting headache, among other symptoms. “Now I use three face masks and three [pairs of] gloves whenever I go out,” she said. “I get so irritated and angry about people who go out unnecessarily and when I see friends posting about going on trips on social media. I feel they and their families have been fortunate enough not to be infected, so they don’t know what they’re doing to themselves.” Samimi said she feels many people are too relaxed considering how dire the situation is. The authorities agree. According to health officials, more than four in five Iranians adhered to health protocols in March, weeks after the pandemic began, but that has now dropped to as low as 40 percent. Authorities maintain that reopening schools and holding public ceremonies to observe religious occasions have had no bearing on the number of cases. Iran passed 30,000 official COVID-19 casualties on Saturday as health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari announced 253 more people lost their lives in the past 24 hours. Saturday also saw 4,103 more new infections, bringing the country’s total to 526,490. The highest number of single-day infections was recorded at 4,830 cases on Wednesday, when a worst single-day death toll of 279 was also reported. The majority of Iran’s 32 provinces, including Tehran, are still classified as red in a colour-coded scale denoting the severity of outbreaks. New restrictions for Tehran In response to the alarming rise in the number of infections, deaths and hospitalisations, officials have introduced new restrictions for Tehran, which is bearing the brunt of COVID-19 cases in the country facing the worst outbreak in the Middle East. Last week, a mandatory city-wide mask rule was implemented and President Hassan Rouhani announced fines for people and businesses who fail to adhere to the rules. He said people who violate the mask rule will face a fine of 500,000 rials ($1.6), while the highest fine for individuals has been defined at 2 million rials ($6.6) for those who test positive for COVID-19 and knowingly endanger others by not quarantining. Businesses have also been ordered to refuse offering services to people without masks and could face up to 10 million rials ($33) in penalties, and ultimately, closures. Finalising the penalties took weeks and police officials, who have been tasked with issuing the penalties, say no fines have been issued yet. At the request of the health ministry, officials also put in effect three-day travel restrictions on five metropolises that expire at the end of Saturday. As part of the travel restrictions, which do not apply to travel by rail or air, only people whose licence plates are registered in Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Isfahan and Urmia, or can prove they live in these cities, are allowed to travel to and from there. The move came in response to an expected wave of travel during the three-day period, which coincided with national religious holidays. On Saturday, Tehran’s governor announced the city’s partial shutdown – that saw the closure over the past two weeks of cafes, universities, cinemas and sport centres, among other places – will remain in place until at least October 23. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">