TEHRAN,Iran, March.18
Trend:
Iran plans to launch 81 service centers valued at 3 trillion rials ($71.4 billion) in newly built settlements, after the coronavirus crisis ends, said the Director General of the New Towns Development Company in Iran, Habbibullah Taherkhani, Trend reports via IRNA.
"A total of 29 projects are ready to be launched, yet the inauguration ceremony has been postponed for better times, due to coronavirus," he said.
Taherkani pointed out that the projects include schools, sports arenas, parks, mosques, culture centers and so on.
He said that around 10,000 apartments were inaugurated in the newly built town of Pardis during the Fajr celebration in February.
Also, around 9,000 apartments from the Mehr Housing Project are ready to be inaugurated in other towns, he said.
"The inauguration ceremony of newly built apartments and their assignment to applicants will be delayed due to the current situation," he said.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 7,900. Over 198,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 81,000 people have reportedly recovered.
Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Several countries are working on a vaccine against the new virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 17,000 people have been infected, 1135 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 5,700 have reportedly recovered from the disease.
The country continues to apply strict measures to contain the further spread. Reportedly, the disease was brought to Iran by a businessman from Iran's Qom city, who went on a business trip to China, despite official warnings.
The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.