Coronavirus: Iran’s death toll surpasses 12,000, Rouhani says some cities in 2nd wave

Iran’s coronavirus death toll rose by 153 in the past 24 hours to 12,084, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Wednesday.

The total number of confirmed infections reached 248,379, she added.

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Some Iranian provinces have been experiencing a second wave of the coronavirus since June, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.

“We have delegated to the local authorities in the provinces that are in the red areas the authority to impose any necessary decisions and restrictions and then report to Tehran,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Rouhani as saying.

Authorities in Iran have divided the country’s provinces into white, yellow and red areas, depending on the severity of the coronavirus crisis. Red areas are deemed the most high-risk, while yellow is considered medium-risk, and white is designated as low-risk.

The government has also decided to cancel wedding and mourning ceremonies until further notice, Rouhani added.

Wearing face masks in crowded and indoor places as well as in government offices is now mandatory, he said.

“We have also authorized the health ministry to deal with crowded places that can be problematic and dangerous,” said Rouhani.

Iran will continue to implement resolutions that have been adopted to overcome the second wave of the coronavirus in the country, he said.

Rouhani said he expects the situation to improve by the end of this month.

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