By: Adena Nima

Iran News Wire

Several Iranian officials acknowledged that the decision to lift almost all COVID-19 restrictions in the country had increased coronavirus infections in Iran.

Upon a decision by the regime’s President Hassan Rouhani, businesses resumed work in all provinces except Tehran on April 11. Businesses in Tehran resumed on April 18.

Travel restrictions between provinces were lifted shortly after and yesterday, the regime announced that parks and public gardens were also open to the public.

The representative of Iran’s Ministry of Health in the northern province of Gilan said that the number of travelers to the province had increased adding that “traveling has increased the number of coronavirus infections in the country”.

Mohammad Hossein Ghorbani compared current conditions to a “volcano that might erupt at any time”. He also said that infections among family members “have raised alarm bells”.

The Gilan health official implied that the regime had made conditions look normal in the country by lifting the COVID-19 restrictions.

Iran’s Deputy Health Minister also said that the lifting of restrictions had led to an increase in infections.

During a meeting yesterday in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, Iraj Harirchi said that in the past week, the number of coronavirus patients had increased in Ahvaz, the capital of the province.

“What concerns us is that according to studies, the reduction of social distancing has led to an increase in coronavirus patients,” the Deputy Health Minister said.  

The Governor of Khuzestan also said that the increase in the number of infections in Ahvaz was “alarming”. Gholamreza Shariati stressed that unlike before there had been an increase in the number of deaths of patients under the age of 60 and that those with no prior illnesses were also dying more than before from the virus.

The Governor blamed the increase on locals saying that they had “not observed hygiene protocols”.

In the northern province of Mazandaran, local health officials also said that the number of coronavirus patients had increased including the Mayer of Tonekabon who said that the number of both fatalities and infections in the northern city had risen in the past few days.  

The head of Tehran’s COVID-19 Headquarters said yesterday that in the past 24 hours, 6,390 coronavirus patients had gone to medical centers in the capital. Alireza Zali said that 312 patients were hospitalized in normal beds while 81 patients in critical conditions were taken to the ICU.

He said that the new increase in virus cases was alarming and that the lack of social distancing in the capital would lead to more cases.

Zali stressed that some of the decisions by the government sends a message to the people that the virus has been contained.

“This is not the case and in Tehran and some parts of the country, the figures show that the epidemic has definitely not been contained,” he added.

Yesterday, an opposition group that announces daily COVID-19 deaths in Iran said that 33,800 people had died since the start of the epidemic. The National Council of Resistance of Iran said that the deaths occurred in 295 cities across Iran.

Iran’s Health Ministry announced the fatalities as 5,481 today.