President Hasan Rouhani:‎

Iran to reopen religious sites in ‘white’ risk zones

President Hasan Rouhani says Iran will be divided into three risk zones based on the number ‎of COVID-19 infections and fatalities, adding that religious sites could reopen in areas ‎designated as white.‎

News ID: 450039

Date: 26 April 2020 - 16:02

RNA – Speaking during a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the ‎Coronavirus in Tehran on Sunday, Rouhani said the Health Ministry would draw up a map of ‎‎“white,” “yellow” and “red” risk zones in the country.‎

In the white areas, religious sites, mosques and holy shrines would be allowed to reopen and ‎hold Friday prayers under the health guidelines issued to curtail the coronavirus pandemic.‎

‎“Tomorrow, if we were told that the city of Mashhad is white, i.e. the Health Ministry came ‎to the conclusion that it would be white for two weeks, then the holy shrine of Imam Reza ‎‎(AS) would reopen based on the protocols the ministry declares,” he said.‎

The Health Ministry, he added, should specify the date on which the white risk zones - that ‎are now about 127 counties - can reopen mosques and hold Friday prayers while observing ‎the health protocols.‎

‎“This is the first step in opening up religious sites that are of great interest to the people, ‎and God willing, we hope that the white areas will expand day by day and we will have
better conditions while the people observe” the protocols, Rouhani said.‎

He also called on Iranians to help the economically vulnerable groups during Ramadan. ‎

‎“Of course, our people have always come to the scene whenever there have been floods, ‎earthquakes and other problems. Now, the month of Ramadan is also one of those ‎occasions during which people should step forth and help in the face of hardships and ‎problems.”‎

Iran has been among the countries hardest hit by the highly contagious virus that first ‎showed up in China in late December 2019 before spreading across the globe.‎

Illegal US sanctions have hampered the virus fight in Iran, which reported its first COVID-19 ‎infection cases in late February. ‎

On Sunday, Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the death toll from the new ‎coronavirus outbreak in Iran had risen by 60 in the past 24 hours to 5,710.‎

The total number of diagnosed cases of the new coronavirus in Iran has reached 90,481, he ‎said, adding 69,657 patients have also recovered and been discharged from hospital. ‎

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