TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Health Ministry reported 2,152 new coronavirus cases from Sunday to Monday, the highest daily infections in 10 days, bringing the total number of infections to 388,810.
Iran’s Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Monday that the death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 117 to 22,410,
She said that at least 335,572 patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection so far or have been discharged from hospitals across the country.
Among those undergoing treatment in medical centers at present, 3,733 patients have critical health conditions because of more severe infection, Lari noted.
She also noted that more than 3,406,000 coronavirus diagnostic tests have been carried out in Iran so far.
Since late February, Iran has been struggling to contain the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, the deadliest in West Asia.
Iran closed schools, canceled public events and banned intercity travel in March. The government, however, began to progressively lift restrictions in April to gradually reopen its sanctions-hit economy.
On Saturday, Iran opened the new school year after nearly seven months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that education will not be closed in the country even under the worst situation.
Education and health are equally important to society, he said, but added that parents would not be forced to send their children back to school.
Several medical professionals have voiced concern over the reopening of schools and universities in Iran.
However, Iran’s Education Minister Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei defended the government’s decision to reopen schools, saying that there is no alternative to face-to-face education.
He said that face-to-face education is better than other types of education in terms of quality.
Haji-Mirzaei noted that a hiatus in education will pose a psychological risk to students and society in the future.
Tasnim and Reuters contributed to this story.
