TEHRAN, July 3, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Iran on Friday reported 154 new
deaths from the novel coronavirus, with fatalities picking up again
days after hitting a record high.
Health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said in a televised
interview that the latest deaths had taken the overall toll in Iran’s
outbreak to 11,260.
She said another 2,566 people had tested positive for the virus,
bringing to 235,429 the total number of confirmed cases since the
outbreak emerged in February.
Fatalities had dropped slightly after hitting the highest
single-day toll of 162 on Monday but resumed a rising trajectory in
the past two days.
The growing caseload has seen some previously largely unscathed
provinces classified as “red” — the highest level on Iran’s
colour-coded risk scale — with authorities allowed to reimpose
restrictive measures if required.
They include Bushehr, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Khuzestan,
Khorasan Razavi, and Kurdistan, all located along Iran’s borders.
It has prompted the government to make the wearing of masks
mandatory in enclosed public spaces from Sunday, with some officials
and state television anchors wearing masks on camera as part of a
campaign to encourage their use.