TEHRAN,Iran, March 4
Trend:
Demand for flights in Iran have dropped due to coronavirus spread, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Organization of Iran Reza Jafarzadeh told Trend.
"Anyone who cares about their own safety, should stay indoors. In this kind of situation the drop in flight demand is expected," he said.
He added that Iran's Civil Aviation Organization is in close cooperation with the Health Ministry in matters related to coronavirus spread and population safety.
"The country's priority is that people avoid traveling," he said.
"All the flying sections including airports and airline companies should follow Health Ministry's regulations. It has been advised to stay indoors to prevent the possible spread of the disease," he added.
"There should not be demands for more flights at the moment, so its natural that the number of flights is decreasing," he said.
"The Civil Aviation Organization is not closing any airports. If there are no scheduled flights it does not mean the airports would close," he said.
Iran is one of the recent countries, affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 2,900 people have been infected, 92 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 500 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 man died later from the disease.
The disease in the Islamic Republic has spread to nearly all 31 of Iran's provinces.
Following the reports of coronavirus spread in the Islamic Republic, several countries have taken measures, including closing borders and banning flights.
The Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.