BAKU, Azerbaijan, Mar.8
Trend:
Iran's Ministry of Education is prepared to open schools after Nowruz holiday in the new Iranian year (starts March 21,2021), if the National Headquarters of Coronavirus Control gives permission, said Minister of Education Mohsen Hajimirzaei, Trend reports citing Mehr News Agency.
"It is possible that schools would not be closed in the new academic year and the situation improves after Nowruz. It depends on the National Headquarters of Coronavirus Control," he said.
"Our suggestion is to open schools but the National Headquarters said the physical attendance in schools is optional. So, we're trying to provide good quality education online," he said.
"We have constantly requested to open schools but the decision is not ours to make," he said.
Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. 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 of Iran only announced its first infections and deaths from the coronavirus on Feb. 19. The pandemic hit a wide range of businesses in Iran since its outbreak in mid-February.
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.