social distancing Archives - Iran News Daily

Pandemic Affecting Mental Health

reporter 1222 — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 04:17:02 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The COVID-19 pandemic has started taking a toll on the mental health of people. The fear of contracting the disease is affecting their psychology.

Such is level of anxiety that even a minor cough or cold is giving them chills and doctors are receiving a large number such cases on a daily basis, tribuneindia.com reported.

Doctors say normal cough, fever or cold existed before, too, but these days, residents feel if they have any of these, they have been affected by coronavirus, which isn’t always true, tribuneindia.com reported.

Medical experts said many people were spending sleepless nights because they were scared that they might contract the virus in the future.

Dr. Nirdosh Goel, a former head of the Department of Psychiatry, Civil Hospital, India, said a patient went into depression over worries that what recourse she would if she contracts the virus.

“The patient has been having sleepless nights for the past 12 days, which is serious. I have dealt with five such cases which I found serious. This is one of the manifestations of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the doctor shared.

He wondered how some people had themselves decided if they would contract the viral disease or not. Goel earlier said the anxiety could be cured if one indulged in activities such as exercise and yoga. The psychiatrist said people must indulge in cooking and doing things that made them happy.

A leading doctor from Kapurthala, India, who deals with a number of patients from rural areas on a daily basis said: “I have been witnessing a big change in the psychology of patients visiting me. One of the patients was so afraid as he had been suffering from fever for the past three to four days. His body language clearly told me that he was disturbed a lot. It was not the fever, but the fear of coronavirus that had made him so weak. I counseled him and told him that there was nothing to worry about. Later, when he found out that he had typhoid and not COVID-19, his fear vanished and he became happy.”

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Government employees back to work in Iran

reporter 1222 — Sun, 31 May 2020 03:58:09 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Government employees went back to work in Iran on Saturday and President Hassan Rouhani said mosques would resume daily collective prayers nationwide, as the country steadily eased curbs for the novel coronavirus.

“It has been decided to open the mosques across the country… giving worshippers the chance to perform their daily prayers while respecting the required (hygiene) rules,” Rouhani said in a televised speech.

He said the reopening of mosques for daily prayer “would not only be in white zones,” but did not elaborate on when the eased measures would take effect.

Authorities had progressively closed mosques across Iran after confirming the first coronavirus infections in February.

Mosques in areas falling into the white category were allowed to reopen their doors to the public during the fasting month of Ramadan – April 25 to May 24 – but only for individual prayers.

For Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, collective prayer was permitted in some areas.

Rouhani also said that shopping malls would be able to stay open beyond the 6 p.m. closing time imposed as part of the curbs.

The president also warned the population against believing that the country was rid of the virus, emphasizing that it was here to stay.

He urged citizens to respect the rules on social distancing fastidiously.

A further 57 people who tested positive for the virus died over the last day, the Health Ministry said Saturday, taking the total confirmed death toll to 7,734.

The official figures show a renewed acceleration in virus cases since early May.

The ministry announced 2,282 new confirmed infections on Saturday, taking the total number of declared infections since February to 148,950.

Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said that the southwestern province of Khuzestan was still classified as “red” due to the higher number of infections and deaths, while seven other provinces were at risk.

The Health Ministry has divided the country into white, yellow, and red areas based on the number of cases and fatalities.

On Friday, authorities announced new confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours had totaled 2,819, a near two-month high.

Authorities are taking tougher measures to ensure health regulations are observed, such as barring people from buses and metro trains if they do not wear face masks.

Alireza Zali, the head of the Coronavirus Taskforce of Tehran, said the situation in the capital was “still not favorable,” adding that the gradual easing of curbs should be accompanied by a “more serious observance” of the rules.

Reuters and AFP contributed to this story.

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Police Arrest 19 at London Protest against Social Distancing

reporter 1222 — Sun, 17 May 2020 06:05:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – London police arrested 19 people on Saturday for deliberately breaking social distancing guidelines in protest against the rules, on the first weekend since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a slight loosening of England’s lockdown.

The Metropolitan Police said that a group in central Hyde Park in London had been protesting about the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had failed to comply with repeated requests to disperse for social distancing protocols.

“It was disappointing that a relatively small group in Hyde Park came together to protest the regulations in clear breach of the guidance, putting themselves and others at risk of infection,” Laurence Taylor, Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said in a statement, Reuters reported.

“Officers once again took a measured approach and tried to engage the group to disperse. They clearly had no intention of doing so, and so it did result in 19 people being arrested, and a further ten being issued with a fixed penalty notice.”

Last Sunday, Johnson outlined plans to ease the lockdown, and people in England are now allowed to meet with another person from a different household in a park. However social distancing must be maintained under the rules, and gatherings of large groups are not allowed.

The protesters represented a minority of those the police encountered on Saturday, Taylor said.

“It was pleasing to see that people were largely compliant with government guidance. Where they weren’t, and after we engaged with them, they quickly were,” he said.

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Smart Reopening Plan Unveiled

reporter 1222 — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 12:07:09 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s President Rouhani said the successful implementation of a smart social distancing program in the battle with the coronavirus is a prelude to the ‘smart reopening’ stage, during which businesses and religious sites in areas categorized as ‘white zones’ would be allowed to reopen.

In a meeting with the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters officials on Thursday, President Hassan Rouhani said the initiative to categorize various regions of the country as white, yellow and red zones according to the level of the threat posed by COVID-19 will help the country move from the smart social distancing stage to smart reopening.

“In every city that people observe the smart distancing (rules) better, better conditions could be announced for the smart reopening of the centers and activities,” the president explained.

He also noted that directors of the specialized committees of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters are going to make a list of the white regions according to the criteria they have defined, saying the conditions for the reopening of businesses and religious sites and relaxing restrictions will be made public.

A report by the Health Ministry shows that people in cities categorized as yellow or almost white zones have observed more than 80 percent of the health protocols, the president said.

According to Rouhani, the number of people being admitted to the hospital due to COVID-19 infection has decreased in light of enhancement of diagnostic tests, timely detection of the suspicious cases under a nationwide screening scheme, quarantining the positive cases, and the people’s compliance with the health protocols.

Iran’s Health Ministry said on Thursday that the number of coronavirus patients recovering and being released from the hospital in the country has exceeded 75,100 and the number of deaths from COVID-19 is on the decline.

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Rouhani appreciates nation for help in coronavirus combat

reporter 1222 — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 10:01:10 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that people and businesses have helped a lot for fighting coronavirus by observing health protocols alongside the relentless efforts of the country’s medical staff and health sector.

Speaking on Sunday at the session of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus, President Hassan Rouhani said, “With the new screening methods implemented in provinces throughout the country, people close to COVID-19 patients will be tested and this important step takes us closer to harnessing the disease.”

“I deem it necessary to thank the great Iranian nation; because low-risk businesses restarted their activities from April 11 in different provinces, of course, in Tehran, they started from yesterday, and it was very important for us to see if people cooperate fully or partially,” he added.

Rouhani noted, “Overall, the report we had yesterday and today is that people have been very helpful and cooperative. This success is also due to people and business owners observing health protocols.”

“On the other hand, we have to thank the medical staff who work day and night in different hospitals for screening and other programs. Thank God, their figures have been becoming more promising every day in recent days,” he added.

Iranian President went on to say, “All this is very important for us. On the one hand, people cooperated, and on the other hand, the medical staff worked with all their power.”

“Also at the meeting today, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education raised issues that show that with the new methods, both screening and identification of people with the disease will continue,” he continued.

Rouhani mentioned, “I would like to add a point here, and it is relevant to our discussion today that the situation these days is difficult for all people and around the world, and we do not have a country that is not infected with this virus and has no problems.”

“The virus has affected social and political life, as well as in world politics and the world economy, but it has been -and is- more difficult for our people, one of the reasons is sanctions, which many countries do not have,” he added, saying, “The next issue that was perhaps more difficult for us was that these days we had Nowruz holidays during which we stopped our traditions, and it was difficult for people.”

President continued, “Not all countries had this ceremony, and we were among the countries that have this ceremony at a high level, and our lifestyle is such that this situation has become more difficult for us, that is, we have large gatherings.”

“One of the conditions that have made the situation worse for us, and perhaps for all Muslims, is the holy month of Ramadan, and we have thought a lot about what we can do for the holy month of Ramadan and what we can do,” he said.

Rouhani noted, “Holy places always have a lot of attraction for us, which increases during the holy month of Ramadan. It is also difficult for us to tell people that during the month of Ramadan, the previous conditions must continue until mid-Ramadan.”

“We ask all the dear people that in these last days of Sha’ban and next week, when we enter the month of Ramadan, due to these circumstances, not to hold congregations,” the President said.

He went on to say, “I would like to thank the organs and institutions that continued their hard work in the past two months and in this difficult situation; of course, they followed the health protocols and, thank God, we achieved great project openings.”

“In the past week, we had four major projects opened in water and electricity, and in the coming weeks we will have large openings until the end of Ramadan and after Ramadan,” he added.

“I have to thank the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Welfare, which last week offered shares in the stock market and the capital market; this was very important. I call on all public and private institutions, the armed forces and all those who can, to bring their companies to the stock market,” Rouhani said.

“The next issue was the reopening of medium-risk businesses; other low-risk businesses had begun their work in provinces last week and began this week in Tehran. There are high-risk businesses that are closed now, like restaurants where people sit there and eat together, it is high-risk, or stadiums, or any place where there’s a gathering, a seminar, a conference, a celebration, and congregations, there is no difference,” he added.

“In the case of prisoners, we had previously decided to stay on leave today, because today is the last day of the months. Of course, at the previous session, we also discussed the issue and delayed it, and of course, the judiciary itself has very good decisions,” the President noted.

He said, “We have not made a new decision regarding schools and universities, except that universities can have their face-to-face educational activities in the field of doctoral education, and the rest remains the same to see what our future conditions will be. Universities and schools will continue education through the Internet.”

“There was a discussion at the meeting that dear Iranians who are abroad, whether students or non-students and want to return to Iran, have a protocol that has been announced. Everyone must follow the protocol; there will definitely be quarantine for them from the country they fly back, and in this quarantine, they will be tested. If their test result is negative, they can go back with the same flight, but if not, they will remain in quarantine for a while,” Iranian President added.

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Iranian Spokesman: No Interruption to Social Distancing

reporter 1222 — Mon, 06 Apr 2020 15:27:23 +0000

Iranian Spokesman: No Interruption to Social Distancing

According To Iran News, The spokesperson for the Iranian administration dismissed speculation about a halt to the social distancing measures to counter the coronavirus pandemic, saying the government cares about both the health and economic life of people.

There will be no halt to the social distancing strategy, Ali Rabiee said at a press conference on Monday, stressing that protection of health of people is a basic principle for the administration, not just one of the priorities.

The model that the government follows regards the health of people as fundamental, and at the same time it cares about the economic and social life of people in accordance with the social distancing and health protocols, he added.

“We should all know that in our strategy, protection of lives of people is still the principle and basis, and there is no replacement for the health of society. Some announce that a series of priorities are changing. That’s not true, as our decisions are made to protect the health of people,” Rabiee added.

On Saturday, President Hassan Rouhani unveiled a plan for smart social distancing across the country as a new phase of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The president has also called on the chairpersons of committees of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters to assess the situation carefully and make decisions about the details of the new plan.

Varied and extensive protocols for the fight against the coronavirus should be defined carefully in all fields, proportional to various businesses, for the reopening period after making sure that following the previous stages, the conditions have been stabilized, he emphasized.

The president underlined that the new health protocols for smart social distancing should be devised in such a way that all people in various sectors may rest assured that their health would be protected with a high degree of confidence by observing the protocols if they get out of the house or work.

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Rouhani: Social distancing to continue along ‘smart distancing’

reporter 1222 — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 10:01:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Saturday that the ‘social distancing’ plan will continue to be implemented across the country in a new format, which he called ‘smart distancing’.

In a meeting with heads of various committees of the national HQ to control coronavirus, President Rouhani said the ‘social distancing’ plan would continue to be implemented across the country in a new format, which he called ‘smart distancing’.

“We have implemented the first and second phases of the plan and obtained some good results. Right now, we are in the third phase, which is the implementation of ‘social distancing’,” he added.

Rouhani went on to add, “health protocols should be designed in such a way that all people, including clients, employees, workers, and business people, would be confident that by following these protocols, they can ensure their safety at work and outdoors.”

“We also need to make sure when students can safely return to educational centers,” he added.

“If coronavirus is to stay for a while, we need to manage it in such a way that people’s lives are not made difficult,” he said. “Decisions should not be made without study and careful consideration.”

“People should know that every decision made in the government is based on careful scientific studies and through consultations with all experts and specialists in the field,” the president reassured.

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Iran gov.: Social distancing plan to continue until April 8

reporter 1222 — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 04:30:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran will continue the implementation of its social distancing plan until April 8, said the government’s spokesman.

Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus in Iran on Saturday, Ali Rabiei added social distancing was the first decision made in today’s session in view of the presented reports, IRNA reported.

He stressed that thus, restrictions such as bans on intercity and intracity travels, closure of inessential businesses and trade centers as well as the public lockdown will remain in place until that date.

Rabiei noted that the second issue discussed at the meeting pertained to quarantining identified cases for two weeks according to hygiene protocols.

He added today, the national headquarters’ Social, Security, and Disciplinary Committee will decide about the legal and judicial arrangements of the plan in an effort to guarantee maximum public compliance with it.

Rabiei noted that the other issue was supporting households failing to have appropriate facilities, such as enough room, for quarantining their members at home through affording them the opportunity to send their patients to convalescent homes funded by the government for the two-week period.

On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the coronavirus infections in the ‎country have reached 35,408, and the death toll stands at 2,517, ISNA reported. ‎

He noted that 3,076 new cases have been identified in the past 24 years, putting the number of deaths in ‎the same time span at 139. ‎

He added 11,679 coronavirus patients have recovered so far in the ‎country. ‎

Jahanpour regretted that of the total number of the infected, 3,206 patients are in critical condition.

He added so far, 57 million have been screened in Iran for coronavirus symptoms.

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