Corona Infections Up 25% in Iran

Overnight cases of the novel coronavirus rose by 25% to over 1,220 in Iran as of Monday and the daily death rate surged by 57%, health officials announced.
Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said fatalities from the respiratory illness rose by 74 on Monday, compared with 47 a day earlier, bringing the death toll to 6,277, ISNA reported.
Confirmed cases also spiked, adding 1,223 patients compared with 976 the day before, bringing the national total to 98,647.
Iran has been gradually relaxing confinement measures in the past few weeks.
According to the health official, more than 79,000 have recovered from the infectious disease.
Iran has conducted 508,000 coronavirus tests across the country. Nearly 2,600 are in critical condition.
After briefing reporters on the surge in deaths and infections, the spokesman said, “We still have the disease under control, but we absolutely do not consider the circumstances to be normal anywhere in the country.”
Jahanpour urged people to adhere to social distancing measures, wear facemasks in crowded places and maintain high levels of personal hygiene. 
President Hassan Rouhani on Monday participated in the Non-Alignment Movement’s 18th summit to discuss the fight against the coronavirus pandemic with member countries. The online summit was hosted by the Republic of Azerbaijan.
 

School Reopenings

Minister of Education Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei said on Monday that schools might reopen in some provinces.
Haji Mirzaei said, “Considering the extent of the coronavirus spread, schools might reopen in some provinces and remain closed in others.”
According to the official, the Health Ministry has identified 130 low risk counties where students could return to school if approved by the coronavirus taskforce.
To prioritize easing lockdown measures, the government has split the country into three zones based on the number of infections and hospitalizations. 
“White” zones, constituting regions with no more than one hospitalization a day during a two-week period, have reopened mosques and can hold Friday prayers but the taskforce has not yet approved the reopening of schools.
Schools, mosques, and other places of gathering will remain closed in “yellow” and “red” zones where the tallies of COVID-19 patients still raise the alarm for the government.
Haji-Mirzaei pointed out that the health of students is the ministry’s priority.
Worldwide coronavirus cases crossed 3.58 million on Monday. The virus has claimed the lives of more than 248,000.