Fines for Violators Not Wearing Face Masks

reporter 1222 — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 05:24:13 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani introduced fines for violators as the country has made it mandatory to wear face masks in the capital Tehran in an attempt to contain the resurgence of the coronavirus.

Speaking during a meeting of National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus on Saturday, Rouhani said Tehran residents would be fined 500,000 riyals ($1.66) for not wearing face coverings and would be given two weeks to pay the amount.

A person, who is infected with the coronavirus, is also obliged to inform his family and workplace and quarantine himself for two weeks, otherwise he would be fined 2,000,000 riyals ($6.67), he added.

If taxi drivers do not use masks, they risk a fine of 1,000,000 riyals ($3.33), Rouhnai noted.

He further said that if taxi drivers pick up passengers without face coverings, they will be fined 200,000 ($0.66) for each passenger.

The businesses that do not abide by the compulsory face mask rule would first be handed a notice, and if they continue the violation, they will be fined 3,000,000 riyals ($10) and later 10,000,000 ($33.4) or closed finally, the president added.

The police, the Basij force and health inspectors will have powers to impose the fines, and offenders will have two weeks to make payment into a Health Ministry account, Rouhani said.

The president also stressed that the new measures will only be enforced in Tehran and may be extended to other provinces if necessary.

Iran has been contending with the deadliest pandemic the world has seen in many decades amid illegal US sanctions, which have seriously hampered efforts to stem the outbreak.

After declining for weeks, the deaths and infections have been on the rise in Iran since the beginning of September.

New figures

Iran’s daily death toll from the novel coronavirus hit a record high of 239 on Wednesday. Daily infections reached a new high of 4,392 the following day.

The virus has killed more than 28,000 people and infected nearly 500,000 in Iran, according to Health Ministry figures.

Tehran authorities shut most public spaces and cancelled public events for a week last Saturday in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Those restrictions have been extended until Friday.

According to the Health Ministry, Iran registered 3,875 new coronavirus cases from Friday to Saturday, with the total number of identified cases in the worst-hit country in the West Asia rising to 496,253.

Among those undergoing treatment in medical centers at present, 4,439 coronavirus patients have critical health conditions, ministry’s spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said on Saturday.

She added that 195 patients died from Friday to Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 28,293.

IRNA, Press TV and Reuters contributed to this story.

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Germany condemns ‘US modern piracy’ over mask confiscation

reporter 1222 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 09:02:55 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The US has been accused of redirecting three million Germany-bound masks for its own use, in a move condemned as “modern piracy”.

The local government in Berlin said the shipment of US-made masks was “confiscated” in Bangkok, BBC reported on Saturday.

The FFP2 masks, which were ordered by Berlin’s police force, did not reach their destination, it said.

Andreas Geisel, Berlin’s interior minister, said the masks were presumably diverted to the US.

The US company that makes the masks, 3M, has been prohibited from exporting its medical products to other countries under a law invoked by President Donald Trump. On Friday, Trump said he was using the Defense Production Act to demand that US firms provide more medical supplies to meet domestic demand. “We need these items immediately for domestic use. We have to have them,” Trump said at the daily Coronavirus Task Force briefing.

Geisel said the diversion of masks from Berlin amounted to an “act of modern piracy”, urging the Trump administration to adhere to international trading rules. “This is not how you deal with transatlantic partners,” the minister said. “Even in times of global crisis, there should be no wild-west methods.”

Geisel’s comments echo the sentiments of other European officials, who have complained about the buying and diversion practices of the US.

In France, for example, regional leaders say they are struggling to secure medical supplies as American buyers outbid them.

The president of the Île-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, compared the scramble for masks to a “treasure hunt”.

“I found a stock of masks that was available and Americans – I’m not talking about the American government – but Americans, outbid us,” Pécresse said. “They offered three times the price and they proposed to pay up-front.”

As the coronavirus pandemic worsens, demand for crucial medical supplies, such as masks and respirators, has surged worldwide. Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was considering changing its guidance on whether people should wear face masks in public. At present, the WHO advises that masks do not provide sufficient protection from infection to justify mass usage. But some countries have taken a different view, including the US.

The US has 277,475 recorded cases of COVID-19, the highest number in the world by a large margin, while the disease has affected more than one million people and killed almost 60,000 globally, the latest figures show.

In a separate development, 3M said the Trump administration had asked it to stop exporting US-made N95 respirator masks to Canada and Latin America.

The request had “significant humanitarian implications”, the company warned and could prompt other countries to act in kind.

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Fines for Violators Not Wearing Face Masks

Germany condemns ‘US modern piracy’ over mask confiscation