Lockdown in Tehran as virus cases break record

Delta variant drives ‘fifth wave’

The Iranian regime imposed a one-week lockdown in Tehran and the neighboring Alborz province on Tuesday amid a record daily number of COVID-19 cases.

Health chiefs reported 27,444 new cases on Tuesday, breaking the record of 25,582 on April 14. The death toll rose by 250 to 87,624.

Iranians are already enduring the deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the Middle East, with more than 3.5 million cases.

Authorities have admitted that the official figures do not account for all cases, and President Hassan Rouhani has warned of a “fifth wave” driven by the aggressive delta variant.

The national virus taskforce ordered all but essential businesses to close for the next six days, the first time such a step has been taken.

Iran has so far avoided imposing a full nationwide lockdown, instead imposing limited measures such as temporary travel bans and business closures.

Offices, banks, shopping malls, cinemas and sports facilities in Tehran were all closed on Tuesday. There was limited traffic and the streets were almost empty of pedestrians.

Mehdi, an employee at a trade company, was skeptical the restrictions would curb infections.

“It won’t be effective,” he said. “If people stay at home and don’t go anywhere, it might — but as soon as there’s a holiday, everyone starts traveling.”

Iran celebrates the Eid Al-Adha holiday on Wednesday.

The new restrictions include a ban on road travel between Tehran and Alborz provinces. Traffic police blocked roads leading north to popular holiday destinations on Tuesday, but there was heavy traffic on Monday night as residents tried to leave the capital.

Iran has pinned its hopes on vaccinations to help combat the pandemic, but its inoculation campaign since early February has progressed slowly.

Just over 6.9 million people have received a first dose, and only 2.3 million people have received the necessary two jabs from a population of 83 million.

Crippled by US sanctions that have made it difficult to transfer money to foreign companies, Iran says it is struggling to import vaccines.

Health authorities have approved the emergency use of two locally produced vaccines, with the only mass-produced one, COVIran Barekat, still in short supply.

The regime has been accused on social media of mismanagement over the slow vaccination drive.

Moslem, a car mechanic in Tehran, said he believed vaccinations were the only real solution. “But it is not being done,” he said.