Dubai – Iran could face a second, stronger
wave of novel coronavirus infections if people ignore guidance
and social distancing rules, health minister Saeed Namaki said
on Monday.
The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the
region, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in
deaths.
But May saw an uptick in the rate of reported infections
compared with mid- to late April – an acceleration the government
put down to increased testing.
"The outbreak is not over yet and at any moment it may come
back stronger than before," Saeed Namaki said.
"If our people fail to respect the health protocols... we
must prepare ourselves for the worst situation."
Iran has reported a total of 154,445 infections as of
Monday, an increase of 2,979 from the previous day.
It also reported 81 new deaths, taking the toll to 7,878.
Government employees went back to work and mosques resumed
daily prayers on Saturday as part of the relaxation of the
lockdown.
But authorities had to reimpose restrictions in the southern
provinces of Khuzestan and Sistan Baluchestan in mid-May after
an uptick of cases there.
"There is still a long way ahead of us in our fight against
this virus... All the health protocols should be respected,"
Namaki said.