(Reuters) – Iran imposed a 10-day shutdown in most parts of the country on Saturday to curb the spread of a fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic, state media reported.
Health Ministry spokeswoman Alireza Raisi said 23 of the country’s 31 provinces were affected. Businesses, schools, theaters and sports facilities are being forced to close and events are banned during the holy fasting month of Ramadan which begins on Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Health, Iran’s coronavirus cases exceeded 2 million last week with a new daily average of more than 20,000 infections. More than 64,000 deaths have been reported.
“Unfortunately, we have entered a fourth wave today,” President Hassan Rouhani said in television remarks. He blames the rise primarily on the variant that first emerged in the UK that spread from neighboring Iraq to Iran earlier this year.
Other factors include widespread travel, weddings and celebrations during the Iranian New Year holiday that began on March 20, he said.
The British variant is now dominant in the country, and 257 cities and towns are in red alert, Raisi said.
Iran was at the center of the pandemic in the Middle East. In February, it closed several crossroads with Iraq in an effort to halt the spread of the British variant.
The country’s vaccination process is also slow.
Tehran says it has received more than 400,000 of 2 million Sputnik V vaccines ordered from Russia, and that it is awaiting delivery of 4.2 million AstraZeneca shots.
It also received 250,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine in China and part of an order for 500,000 doses of COVAXIN in India.
With a population of 83 million, Iran hoped to secure more than 2 million vaccines by March 20 to vaccinate mainly health workers. It is developing at least four local vaccination candidates, one in collaboration with Cuba, which is expected to reach production within a few months.