Iran will close schools, universities and educational centers in two central cities to prevent a deadly coronavirus outbreak spreading, state TV reported on Saturday.
It said the shutdown would begin on Sunday and last two days in Qom, where two people have died from the virus, and a week in Arak.
Iran on Saturday reported one more death among 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in the Islamic republic to five and infections to 28.
An Iranian official has tested positive for coronavirus as well, state TV had reported earlier on Saturday. It is unclear whether he is one of the new cases announced.
Morteza Rahmanzadeh, the mayor of district 13 of the capital Tehran, was hospitalized with coronavirus symptoms on Friday, according to state TV.
The COVID-19 outbreak first emerged in Iran on Wednesday, when officials said it killed two elderly people in Qom, a Shia holy city south of the capital.
They were the first confirmed deaths from the disease in the Middle East.
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