Iran scrambles to quell virus as panic grips public

TEHRAN - The rapid spread of the novel corona virus has prompted Iranian authorities to declare a state of emergency in three provinces in the country’s north while tightening control over other provinces as a state of panic grips the public.

The Iranian Ministry of Health announced 49 new deaths from the rapidly spreading virus, the country’s largest number of deaths in 24 hours since the first officially announced cases on February 19.

The official death toll now stands at 194 from 6,566 infections in Iran, one of the worst affected countries outside of China, the epicentre of COVID-19.

Several sources claim that Iranian authorities are downplaying the extent of the virus’ spread, with the number of victims potentially much higher than official figures.

As Iranian authorities mobilised to tighten measures on Iranian cities after officials opposed imposing a quarantine in Qom, where the epidemic appeared, the representative of the Minister of Health in Kilan Province, Muhammad Hussain Qurbani pointed out the possibility of using "coercive force" to implement domestic quarantine.

He mentioned that the provinces of Ceylan, Mazandaran and Kalestan, which imposed a strict ban on the entry of cars and travellers, are among provinces where the virus is most widespread.

The situation in Kailan is the worst among the provinces mentioned, where hundreds of victims have been discovered, while dozens have succumbed to the virus, including doctors and nurses.

On Sunday, authorities announced that the number of infected medical personnel had reached 11, which reflects the fragility of the health sector in the Islamic Republic, which lacks the most basic means of protection for staff.

A number of doctors, nurses and trade unionists in the health service went on strike from work at the 'Master of the Martyrs' Hospital in the Klubendek area, to protest the lack of masks and safety equipment.

The Commissioner of the Minister of Health in the Province of Kelan (North) Mahdi Shadnoush was quoted as saying, "Hospital conditions are painful," calling on relief organisations and charities to help provide the poor with means of handling the outbreak.

Hospitals face the lack of basic supplies to care for corona virus patients, as well as a shortage of beds, which is causing panic among Iranians sceptical of the authorities’ ability to handle the situation.

Iran has been witnessing an acute economic crisis since the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions.