BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 31
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend
It is possible that 80 percent of the population in Iran is infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) but many people with symptoms are not revealed, said President of Iran Hassan Rouhani, Trend reports citing IRNA.
According to Rouhani, these individuals can be carriers of the virus and thus, infect others.
Rouhani added that in this regard, the citizens must comply with the applicable restrictive rules.
The president said that the situation is good in 23 provinces of Iran where the number of COVID-19 is low.
"Two different decisions can be made. The first is that economic and labor activities can begin more quickly in areas where the situation is good and can be postponed for a few days in the provinces where the situation is severe," he said.
The head of state did not rule out that activities in all provinces may commence at the same time.
Rouhani called on the citizens not to leave their homes on Nature Day, which is celebrated on April 1 in Iran. Traditionally, people go to the countryside on this day.
Iran is one of the countries heavily affected by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 44,600 people have been infected, 2,898 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 14,600 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 Islamic Republic only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19.