Yesterday’s daily coronavirus update from the Iranian Ministry of Health came with an unexpected addendum. "We recommend eating as much fruit as possible instead of sweets and chocolates during Nowruz," spokeswoman Dr Sima Sadat Lari told audiences.
According to yesterday’s figures, another 7,506 Iranians tested positive for coronavirus infection and 97 people died from Covid-19 in the preceding 24 hours. Another 792 people had been hospitalized with Covid-19 and 3,889 patients were in ICUs across the country.
There have been mounting fears of a “fourth wave” of infections in Iran ever since the new hyper-infectious strain first identified in Britain found its way to Khuzestan.
Despite this, New Year travel is still permitted in most of the country. A total of 17 cities in Iran are on red alert for coronavirus transmission, while another 47 are rated orange. Travel to and from these cities is prohibited, but the rest of the country is still open.
Government officials repeatedly begged people not to travel in the run-up to Nowruz. On Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani called on people to limit their journeys as much as possible. But with few formal restrictions in place, there are early signs that many people have indeed embarked on journeys to visit friends and relatives for Nowruz.
According to official reports, the number of New Year trips this year increased by 52 percent compared to last year, shortly after the outbreak of coronavirus was officially announced in Iran. In Gilan province alone, the information secretary of the Nowruz Travel Committee has reported that 2.4 million passengers entered the province, and 2.2 million departed from it, between the start of the holidays and Thursday, March 25.
The Nowruz holiday in Iran ends on Saturday, March 27, when many citizens must return to work. The officially-recorded Covid-19 death toll is currently rising sharply and according to the Deputy Minister of Health, the current figures do not yet reflect the impact of Nowruz shopping and travel. It was in this context that on Thursday, Dr Lari called on people to eat well during the holidays to strengthen their immune systems.
Related coverage:
Special Report: Bad Science, Bad Faith and Covid-19 in Iran
Iran Braces for New Wave of Covid-19 Infections as "Fakhra" Vaccine Unveiled
Health Minister 'Begs' Iranians Not to Travel for Nowruz
Amid Deepening Coronavirus Crisis, Officials Propose New Year Package Tours
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