BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 17
By Elnur Baghishov – Trend:
It is necessary to close all border crossings with Iraq given the spread of the “British” strain of the coronavirus pandemic in the Khuzestan Province (southwestern Iran), Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health and Medical Education.
This was stated in a letter from Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Iran Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli.
According to Namaki, a new strain of the mutated coronavirus is spreading rapidly in the province. Therefore, the borders should be closed indefinitely.
The head of the Committee for Combating Coronavirus in Iran's Khuzestan Province Farhad Abolnejadian also demanded for a state of emergency in Khuzestan Province.
Abolnejadian said that the increase in the number of infection cases of the "British" strain of coronavirus pandemic in Khuzestan Province over the past two weeks has caused concern.
“Serious and urgent steps must be taken in Khuzestan Province to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus,” he said.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from Iranian officials, over 1.54 million people have been infected, and 59,184 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 1.31 million people have reportedly recovered from the disease.
The country continues to apply strict measures to contain 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.
The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019.