Iran to Reopen Holy Shrines Nationwide despite COVID-19 Pandemic

President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday the holy shrines will open one hour after the dawn and will close one hour before the sunset.

He also noted that the working hours of government offices will change into 7:30 to 14:30 until further notice.

The president added that restrictions on the activity of shopping malls will also be lifted in a matter of days.

He further said Iran has got through three stages of the fight against the COVID-19 virus, and the fourth stage is getting underway where restrictions will get tougher and efforts will be expedited to detect infected people and diagnose the disease.

“The three stages which have been in place so far included giving precise figures on the disease, national mobilization to fight the disease, getting through the dangerous phase, controlling the spread of the virus through the social distancing and smart social distancing plan, and gradually reopening businesses,” he said.

The President said COVID-19 is a “new” and “global” phenomenon.

He urged people to keep observing health protocols and directives “as we have not yet reached a point where we can have assurances” that the disease is controlled.

Elsewhere is remarks, President Rouhani warned certain individuals against “spreading fear” in society.

“Some people want to instill a sense of psychological insecurity in society or create the impression that the current situation is irreversible,” he said.

The president also noted that the death rate from the coronavirus is slowing down compared to the infection rate.

He further said 88% of those who have lost their lives to coronavirus suffered from underlying health conditions and other diseases.