Rouhani Urges Iranians to ‘Seriously’ Observe Health Protocols

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Iranians to respect health protocols aimed at containing the new coronavirus as "low-risk" economic activities resumed in most of the country.

Rouhani made the plea in a meeting of senior officials in charge of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus in Tehran on Saturday, expressing optimism about achieving “reliable conditions” in the fight against the viral pandemic which provided that the health protocols are observed.

“If the cooperation and support of the people as well as the observance of restrictions and protocols continue with the same procedure that has been done so far, we can hope that we will gradually achieve reliable conditions in dealing with the coronavirus,” Rouhani said.

The government authorized the so-called low-risk businesses to resume activities across the country from Saturday with the exception of the capital Tehran, where they will restart from April 18.

“The honorable people [of Iran] should know that the implementation of smart social distancing [rules] is only for low-risk businesses, and in no way should it be considered that the virus and its epidemic have completely disappeared,” Rouhani underlined. “All health protocols must be taken seriously.”

Iran has confirmed 70,029 cases of the coronavirus infection since the outbreak was reported in the country in late February.

More than 41,947 people have recovered and 4,357 died of the virus, according to the latest updates provided by the Health Ministry on Saturday.