Iran locks down south-west county after surge in coronavirus cases

Country's total number of deaths from Covid-19 rose by 51 in past 24 hours to 6,640

epa08407965 Iranian women wearing face masks and protective gloves go shopping  in a street, in Tehran, Iran, 07 May 2020. Media reported that Iran is one of the most affected countries by COVID-19 disease.  EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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A county in south-western Iran has been placed under lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus after sharp rise in new cases across the province.

Gholamreza Shariati, Governor of Khuzestan province, which borders Iraq and includes the county of Abadan, told state news agency Tasnim that people had not been observing social distancing rules.

"Because of this the number of corona patients in the province has tripled and the hospitalisation of patients has risen by 60 per cent," Mr Shariati said.

Banks and offices in Abadan will be closed until the end of the week and entry corridors to the county from the north and east have been closed, Tasnim reported.

Offices will be closed and travel restrictions will also apply to nine other counties in oil-rich Khuzestan, Mr Shariati said.

Iran, one of the countries in the Middle East hit hardest by the coronavirus, has begun easing restrictions on normal life to keep afloat its economy, which was already battered by US sanctions.

But health officials have repeatedly warned that easing restrictions could lead to a boost in the number of infections.

Schools will open next week, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday.

On Friday, after a two-month suspension, prayer gatherings resumed in up to 180 Iranian cities and towns considered to be at low risk of coronavirus contagion.

The resumption of Friday prayers, which is still banned in the capital Tehran and some other major cities, followed the reopening last Monday of 132 mosques in areas consistently free of the virus.

Coronavirus infections in Tehran are still rising, a local official told the Isna news agency on Sunday.

The number of coronavirus deaths rose by 51 in the past 24 hours to 6,640, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said on state TV on Sunday.

A total 107,603 cases have been diagnosed, Mr Jahanpur said.

Iranian officials have said sanctions that were reimposed in 2018 after US President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers have blocked its ability to battle the pandemic.

The oil price crash is a further challenge, Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri told the government website.

"The sanctions, corona, the drop in oil prices and a slump in the global economy have placed perilous conditions in front of the national economy," Mr Jahangiri said.

"Of course these conditions don't mean a dead end, but the country's leaders must use different approaches and capacities to solve the challenges ahead."