TEHRAN, Iran — Iran announces 117 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, bringing the overall official toll to 4,474, even as it eases some restrictions that had been imposed to slow the spread of the virus.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour also tells a news conference that 1,657 new infections had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 71,686.
Iran has carried out 263,388 tests for the virus so far, he adds.
Of those confirmed to be infected with COVID-19 and admitted to hospitals, 43,894 have recovered and been discharged, while 3,930 are in a critical condition.
Iran announced its first coronavirus cases on February 19 and has so far become the worst-hit country in the Middle East.
The new tolls come as Iran has started a gradual reopening of its sanctions-hit economy.
Yesterday, it allowed small businesses to reopen outside the capital and this will be extended to the capital Tehran on April 18.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani also announces in a cabinet meeting that an intercity travel ban in place since last month would be lifted on April 20.
But he repeats calls on Iranians to limit movements outside to “necessary” tasks and remain vigilant, as it remains difficult to “comment on the future” of Iran’s battle with the virus.
— AFP
Iranians walk past shops in the southeastern city of Kerman on April 11, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (ISNA/AFP)
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
