Ayatollah Khamenei attended the coronavirus taskforce’s meeting via online platforms on Sunday to underscore the West’s failed attempts to fight Covid-19 and express gratitude to his countrymen and women for their swift response to the global health crisis, Leader.ir reported.
Referring to the longer window of opportunity for the West to prepare for the outbreak, the Leader said, “The high number of infections and deaths in the United States and some European nations show that they could not rise to the occasion.”
The disproportionate toll of the deadly virus on “the underprivileged”, “the elderly”, “the sick” and “the disabled” in western communities reveals the shortcomings of their money-based social philosophies, he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei counted the “moral failure” as the West’s third flaw in handling the contagion, evident from the panic buying of citizens that upended the countries’ supply chains.
He also urged the government to reinforce the country’s healthcare system, in case the pandemic flares up again.
President Hassan Rouhani briefed the Leader on the 80-day battle against the infectious disease and applauded the country’s determination to reduce the daily death toll from three-digit figures to two-digits with one month of quarantine measures.
“We passed the peak of the illness around April 13 and the death rate returned to two-digits, same as before the outbreak peaked.”
Schools Reopen Next Week
Rouhani announced on Sunday that schools will reopen across the country next week but student attendance is optional.
The president said, “The schools will resume education only for students who want their teachers to clear up ambiguities about the lessons. [Attendance] is not mandatory.”
He also discussed his administration’s scheme to identify low-risk counties that are allowed to return to work.
“There are 158 coronavirus low-risk counties in the country. Activities, including [prayers in] mosques, have resumed while observing health protocols,” he added.
The president also said that the taskforce might allow the reopening of many more businesses next week based on the Health Ministry’s tally of cases.
The government has so far relaxed curbs only on low- and medium-risk businesses and a few high-risk places of business, including dental facilities and beauty parlors.
Iran’s health authorities identified 1,383 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, taking the nation’s total reported infections to 107,603.
Overnight deaths due to the deadly pandemic numbered 51, up by three from a day earlier, bringing the death toll to 6,640.
The Health Ministry once again warned against the fast spread of the virus in Tehran and Khuzestan provinces and asked for public cooperation.
More than 86,000 people have been discharged from hospitals and 2,675 patients are cared for in intensive care units. Iran has carried out 586,699 coronavirus tests nationwide.