Small businesses reopened in Iran’s capital Tehran on Saturday, as the official daily death toll from Coronavirus continues to fall.
Firms such as bookshops, clothes shops, and printing houses renewed business, a week after they were allowed to reopen in the rest of the Islamic Republic.
Gyms, restaurants, shopping malls and Tehran’s grand bazaar remain closed as do schools, universities, shrines, and mosques. Public events are suspended, and travel between cities discouraged.
But Tehran police reported there was a “significant” rise in traffic on Tehran’s streets. State TV showed health inspectors visiting shops and reminding a baker that he was required to wear a mask. Inspectors were seen at stores where employees handed out gloves to customers.
President Hassan Rouhani announced “Smart Social Distancing” earlier this month, so “low-risk” businesses can reopen.
Iran’s official death toll passed 5,000 on Saturday, reaching 5,031 amid 80,868 confirmed cases. A Parliamentary report last week suggested the actual number of deaths may be almost double the official total, and infections might be 8 to 10 times higher.
Alireza Zali, head of the Coronavirus task-force in the capital, cautioned, “Coronavirus is still in an epidemic stage in Tehran…and the heavy traffic is a cause of increased concern.”
However, Saturday’s daily increase of 73, continuing a downward trend over the past week, was the lowest for more than a month.
And the Supreme Leader has put a priority on Iran’s troubled economy, proclaiming a year of “Surge in Production”.
The International Monetary Fund projected last week that Iran’s economy, which contracted 7.6% in 2019, will suffered a further loss of 11% in GDP this year. Before the advent of Coronavirus, the IMF forecast a flatline Iranian economy with a 0% growth rate.
President Rouhani said on Saturday, “A considerable number of people have not only observed health directives, but also have abided by the ‘stay-at-home’ motto very well and have not left home except for necessary affairs.”
He called on the Health Ministry to set out conditions for medium-risk businesses to reopen, while continuing to “convince [people] of the necessity of abiding by the regulations and directives” for social distancing.