Iranian President Warns Of Fifth Wave Of COVID; Urges Iranians To Not Travel

Iran's president has said that the country may suffer another wave of coronavirus infections, as officials warned the more infectious Delta variant of the disease was spreading.

Hassan Rohani's comments came on June 3 at a meeting of the national coronavirus task force.

"It is feared that we are on the way to a fifth wave throughout the country," he said during the televised portion of the meeting.

He urged people to postpone summer travels and gatherings to prevent the "spread of the virus, particularly its Indian variant."

Iran is among the countries hardest hit by the virus and the worst hit in the Middle East.

The capital, Tehran, and more than 90 other cities and towns have been declared red zones, mandating up to 70 percent of office workers to work from home.

It also requires the closure of public places like restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters.

Iranian officials say the death toll from COVID-19 rose by 111 over the previous 24 hours, putting the country’s total at 84,627 since the pandemic broke out last year.

Iran has also suffered from slow distribution of vaccines. In addition to the domestically produced COVIran Barekat, the Cuban-made Soberana, which is produced in Iran as the Pasteur vaccine, has been approved for use.

There is also Russia’s Sputnik V, which Iran continues to import.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP