Iran: Covid-19 Infections Climb to 243,000

Over 243,000 people have been diagnosed with contracting the coronavirus in Iran as of Monday, as the outbreak continued its rapid spread throughout the country.
Health Ministry Spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said they have identified 2,613 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 during a 24-hour period, 56% of whom required hospitalization, ISNA reported.
Overnight fatalities stood at 160 on Monday, bringing the death toll to 11,731. 
Lari pointed out that although the southwestern province of Khuzestan is still in a state of emergency, deaths and hospitalizations have dropped "rather significantly”, while at least eight other provinces are in a “red” state, including Bushehr and Kurdestan. 
Iran’s government split the country into “red”, “yellow” and “white” zones to keep track of transmission rates and prioritize reopenings. “Red” counties are authorized to reimpose lockdown disciplines to keep the virus from overwhelming hospitals.
Alborz, Yazd and Kerman are among several provinces registering alarming numbers that could lead to “red” status, if left unchecked.
Public libraries, one of the last places to reopen during the previous quarantine, are among the first to close down in the capital Tehran.
More than 3,200 are in intensive care units. 
According to Lari, Iran has administered 1.82 million coronavirus tests to detect infections.

School Reopening Date Flexible

Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei said on Monday that if the second wave becomes more serious, the school year could be postponed.
“If the second wave, which we are currently facing, further escalates and the coronavirus taskforce revises its decision, the date of school reopenings could change,” Haji-Mirzaei said.
The national taskforce announced September 5 as the date for the return of students to schools, two weeks earlier than the annual routine, but the resurgence of pandemic has cast doubt on the final date.
A nationwide mandatory mask wearing order came into effect on Sunday following the spike in cases and fatalities in recent weeks. 
A Tehran Municipality official urged people to refrain from non-essential travels.
“Right now, 98% of passengers wear face coverings on the subway,” the official said, stressing that observing social distancing is impossible during rush hours and a request has been submitted to the coronavirus taskforce to alternate working days to reduce the risk of virus spread.
The number of passengers using public transport rose by 5-10% when all businesses resumed operations, while the use of mask in the subway has increased by nearly 20%. The public transport system accounts for 25% of virus transmissions.
Globally, 11.58 million have fallen ill due to the viral infection and 537,000 have lost their lives. Some 6.5 million have been reported to have recovered from the disease.