From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 15, 2020
Iran warns it may reimpose lockdown as virus infections soar
Iran warns it may have to reimpose tough measures against the novel coronavirus to ensure social distancing, as it reports more than 100 deaths for a second straight day.
Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari says 113 new fatalities take to 8,950 the total number of COVID-19 deaths since the country’s outbreak began in February.
She also says another 2,449 people had tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, taking the Islamic Republic’s overall caseload to 189,876.
Iran’s government shut schools, postponed major public events and barred inter-city travel to stop the virus’s spread in March before gradually easing restrictions from April.
Official figures have shown a rising trajectory in new confirmed cases since early May, when Iran hit a near two-month low in daily recorded infections.
Government spokesman Ali Rabiei bemoans the lack of social distancing among people at holy sites and on public transportation.
“In the (Tehran) subway, although 90 percent of passengers use masks, social distancing is not being observed,” he tells a news conference.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.