Dubai: In another grim day in Iran’s fight against the deadly COVID-19 virus, 141 people were reported dead, with the country’s total death toll now reaching 2,898. Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said the total number of infections has jumped to 44,606.
“In the past 24 hours, there have been 3,111 new cases of infected people. Unfortunately, 3,703 of the infected people are in a critical condition,” Jahanpur said.
Experts have indicated that the real toll, of both infections and deaths is much higher than is being reported.
At a meeting broadcast live, Rouhani called on Iranians to avoid public places.
The government taken many steps to try and prevent the spread of the disease but has stopped short of imposing a lockdown on Iranian cities.
This came as Kuwait on Tuesday announced another 23 new cases of the deadly coronavirus, raising the total number of cases in the country to 289, according to the Ministry of Health. Oman recorded 13 new cases, taking its overall number to 192. Of these, 34 patients recovered, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, as cases rise in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing growing calls to lockdown the country from unions and the opposition. However, he has insisted that Turkey should “keep wheels turning”.
Ankara has stopped all international flights, limited domestic travel, closed schools, bars and cafes, suspended mass prayers and sports fixtures to counter the outbreak.
The authorities have not, however, ordered people to stay at home, even as the number of cases in Turkey has risen sharply.
–With inputs from agencies