Tehran Authorities Seeking Return of Covid-19 Curbs

Two local authorities in the capital Tehran have filed a request with the national coronavirus taskforce on Tuesday, asking for the reimposition of lockdown measures following a spike in hospitalizations and deaths in the overcrowded metropolis.
Tehran’s Governor General Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey, together with the head of Tehran’s coronavirus taskforce, Alireza Zali, pleaded for the return of quarantine measures in the capital to control the rising tally of cases and fatalities caused by the Covid-19 disease, ISNA reported.
The letter contains six articles, according to Zali, who said it includes all previous containment measures “but in a more general way”. The country’s earlier restrictions included a ban on intercity travel and the shutdown of a wide range of businesses.
Iran’s death toll climbed to 10,714 as of Tuesday, up by 147 from a day earlier. The tally of patients jumped to 227,000, up by 2,457 new cases, 1,435 of whom were admitted to general wards or intensive care units.
Head of three hospitals in Tehran also voiced concerns over the exponential rise in patients requiring hospitalization. 
“One worrying aspect of it is that the number of patients who require admission to ICU beds have surpassed those in general wards,” one hospital administrator said.
“The number of young people under 30 admitted to intensive care units has also risen significantly.”

A ‘Savior’

President Hassan Rouhani told his economic taskforce that digital services are a “savior” during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The spread of the virus created an opportunity for the promotion of online services in industries, businesses and education,” he said.
The president ordered his administration to facilitate the growth of internet-based companies after his ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi delivered a report on job generation amid the outbreak.
Another Cabinet minister was also optimistic on Tuesday. Health Minister Saeed Namaki said Iran’s Covid-19 vaccine is in the pipeline.
“We have made great progress in developing a vaccine. It has been successfully tested on animals,” Namaki said, noting that they will run a clinical trial involving humans in the near future.
Alireza Raeisi, the minister’s deputy, said on the same day that a vaccine for the infectious disease will “definitely” not be ready for another year and urged businessmen to prepare to live with the virus for two years.
Eight of Iran’s 31 provinces, including Kurdestan and East Azarbaijan, are in a state of emergency as their total cases and deaths have climbed. Authorities have pointed to wedding ceremonies, funerals and family gatherings as the main reason for the resurgence of the deadly virus.
Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday that the jump was caused by those who believe the country has returned to normalcy.
Over 188,000 recovered from the viral infection or left hospitals and more than 3,000 are in serious condition. Iran has administered 1.666 million PCR tests to detect infections.
Global cases surged past 10.4 million and deaths rose to 508,000.