A woman prays during the Arafah ceremony at Tehran University (Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA)

Facing the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, but loathe to reimpose restrictions on economic activity, Iran’s Government has called on people to avoid travel during the holy month of Muharram.

President Hassan Rouhani issued the caution on Thursday, as Muharram began, at a meeting of the National Coronavirus Task Force.

According to an old tradition, some citizens used to travel to their hometowns to participate in the traditional mourning ceremony for the martyrs. I ask them to refrain from doing so due to the special circumstances we are facing this year.

The Health Ministry announced another 139 deaths on Thursday, bringing the official total to 20,264. Official cases are 352,558, an addition of 2,279.

Medics, activists, and some Iranian officials say the actual number of deaths and cases is far higher. Mohammad-Reza Mahboubfar, an epidemologist who was on the task force, said infections may be 20 times greater, and Rouhani has said that 25 million of Iran’s 84 million population may carry the virus.

Medical records, given by a source to BBC Persian, document about 42,000 deaths up to July 20, with cases almost 50% higher than the official total.

Rouhani noted on Thursday that the Health Ministry is testing students before and after university entrance exams. More than 1 million candidates sit the exams each year.

He spoke of “progress made in obtaining COVID-19 vaccine” through development at home and pre-purchase abroad.

But amid economic crisis, Rouhani held out again over reimposition of measures: “We did not allow coronavirus to close our businesses.”

The Government began lifting restrictions on businesses, mosques, and universities from April 11. Daily cases soon rose up to 300% after a low of 803 on May 2, and deaths setting a record high in late July.