Iran's president calls for ban on weddings, wakes to halt virus spread

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Published Jul 11, 2020

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INTERNATIONAL - Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called

on Saturday for big gatherings such as weddings and wakes to be

banned to stem a rise in coronavirus infections, but insisted

the country's economy had to stay open.

Shortly after Rouhani’s televised speech, a police official

in Tehran announced the closure of all wedding and mourning

venues in the capital until further notice.

Iran has been gradually relaxing its lockdown since

mid-April, but has recently reported a sharp rise in the

infection rate.

The death toll on Saturday rose by 188 over the previous 24

hours to 12,635, while the total number of diagnosed cases

reached 255,117, up by 2,397 during the same period, Health

Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on state TV.

“We must ban ceremonies and gatherings all over the country,

whether it be wakes, weddings or parties,” Rouhani said.

“Now is not the time for festivals or seminars,” he said,

adding that even university entrance exams may have to be

suspended.

Rouhani and other officials have blamed the rise in

infections partly on wedding parties, wakes and other public

gatherings.

An advisor to Iran’s Coronavirus Task Force warned that if

appropriate measures were not taken, between 50,000 and 60,000

people could die from the pandemic.

“The second wave, which will occur in the fall, will be much

more deadly,” said the advisor, Hossein Qenaati, according to

the semi-official ISNA news agency.

While struggling to curb the spread of COVID-19, Iranian

authorities are concerned that tougher measures could wreck an

economy already reeling under U.S. sanctions.

“The easiest option is to shut down everything,” Rouhani

said. “But then people will pour into the streets because of

hunger and unemployment.” 

REUTERS 

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