Warning Against Travel in Upcoming Holidays Amid Pandemic

Several Iranian authorities warned against intercity trips during the upcoming four-day holidays, expressing concern over a potential third Covid-19 wave that would further strain the country’s health system ahead of an influenza season, which is less than a month away.
Health Minister Saeed Namaki on Tuesday cautioned against public complacency and said, “I am asking people not to pack bags and hopscotch around the country just because their children are done with university entrance exams.” 
The minister specifically named the northern province of Mazandaran as the top tourist hotspot for residents of Tehran and noted that the region is the “most troubled” in Iran, ISNA reported. 
Tehran Governor-General Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpey also advised against making trips to other cities to preserve the health of themselves and others.
“If citizens travel again, we should expect the resurgence of the virus one week after the holidays,” Bandpey noted.
Over 5,800 have died due to the coronavirus pandemic across Tehran Province, Bandpey said, adding that provincewide, some 50 lose their lives daily.
Over 2,210 were diagnosed with Covid-19 in a 24-hour period, taking Iran’s caseload to 363,363, the spokeswoman for the Health Ministry, Sima Sadat Lari, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Lari said the daily count of fatalities reached 125, bringing the death toll to 20,901.
According to Lari, Iran has administered 3.08 million diagnostic tests to track infections, over 313,000 have recovered from the respiratory illness and 3,830 are in critical condition.