Iran to reopen tourist sites after 3-month closure

Tehran, May 24 (IANS) Tourist sites are set to reopen across Iran on Sunday after a nearly three-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made by President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, reports Xinhua news agency.

Holy shrines will reopen on Monday, according to Rouhani.

The shrines would be open for three hours in the mornings and three hours in the afternoons, he said earlier.

Meanwhile, all workers in the country will return to work from May 30, the President noted.

Iran has implemented three stages regarding the pandemic, according to Rouhani.

The first stage was announcing the disease and mobilizing the nation’s capacities to rein in the outbreak.

The second involved controlling the disease through social distancing measures, and the third required smart distancing accompanied by gradual reopening of the country.

In the fourth stage, the authorities will aim to contain the novel coronavirus, he noted.

The growth of mortality rate over the virus in the country has begun to decline and hospitalizations are becoming shorter, Rouhani said.

Iran has recorded a total of 133,521 coronavirus infections since February 19, with 7,359 have died.

–IANS

ksk/