Iranian state TV warns 'millions'
could die from coronavirus
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A cleric and
a woman pray behind a closed door of Masoume shrine in the city of Qom, some 80
miles (125 kilometers) south of the capital Tehran, Iran, Monday, March 16,
2020. On Monday, Iran closed the Masoume shrine, a major pilgrimage site in the
city of Qom, the epicenter of the country's new coronavirus outbreak.
Authorities were already restricting access and barring pilgrims from kissing
or touching the shrine, but it had remained open. (AP Photo)
DUBAI – Iran issued its most dire warning
yet Tuesday about the outbreak of the new coronavirus ravaging the country,
suggesting “millions” could die in the Islamic Republic if the public keeps
traveling and ignoring health guidance.
A state
television journalist who also is a medical doctor gave the warning only hours
after hard-line Shiite faithful the previous night pushed their way into the
courtyards of two major shrines that had just been closed over fears of the
virus.
Roughly nine
out of 10 of the over 18,000 cases of the new virus confirmed across the Middle
East come from Iran, where authorities denied for days the risk the outbreak
posed. Officials have now implemented new checks for people trying to leave
major cities ahead of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on Friday, but have
hesitated to quarantine the areas.
That's even
as the death toll in Iran saw another 13% increase Tuesday. Health Ministry
spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the virus had killed 135 more people to raise
the total to 988 amid over 16,000 cases. Jordan meanwhile prepared for a shutdown
of its own over the virus, banning gatherings drawing more than 10 people.
Most people
infected by the new coronavirus experience only mild or moderate symptoms, such
as fever and cough, and recover within weeks. But the virus is highly contagious
and can be spread by people with no visible symptoms. For some, especially
older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe
illness, including pneumonia.
The Iranian
state TV journalist, Dr. Afruz Eslami, cited a study by Tehran's prestigious
Sharif University of Technology, which offered three scenarios. If people begin
to cooperate now, Iran will see 120,000 infections and 12,000 deaths before the
outbreak is over, she said. If they offer medium cooperation, there will be 300,000
cases and 110,000 deaths, she said.
But if
people fail to follow any guidance, it could collapse Iran's already-strained
medical system, Eslami said. If the “medical facilities are not sufficient,
there will be 4 million cases, and 3.5 million people will die,” she said.
Eslami did
not elaborate on what metrics the study used, but even reporting it on Iran’s
tightly controlled state television represented a major change for a country
whose officials had for days denied the severity of the crisis.
Late on
Monday night, angry crowds stormed into the courtyards of Mashhad's Imam Reza
shrine and Qom's Fatima Masumeh shrine. Crowds typically pray there 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, touching and kissing the shrine. That's worried health
officials, who for weeks ordered Iran's Shiite clergy to close them.
Earlier on
Monday, the state TV had announced the shrines' closure, sparking the
demonstrations.
“We are here
to say that Tehran is damn wrong to do that!” one Shiite cleric shouted at the
shrine in Mashhad, according to online video. Others joined him in chanting:
“The health minister is damn wrong to do that, the president is damn wrong to
do that!”
Police later
dispersed the crowds, state media reported. Religious authorities and a
prominent Qom seminary called the demonstration an “insult” to the shrine in a
statement, urging the faithful to rely on “wisdom and patience” amid the
closure.
Iran's
shrines draw Shiites from all over the Mideast for pilgrimages, likely
contributing to the spread of the virus across the region. Saudi Arabia earlier
closed off Islam’s holiest sites over fear of the virus spreading.
President
Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday said despite the closures, “our soul is closer to the
saints more than at any time.”
State TV
reported that Iran had deployed teams to screen travelers leaving major cities
in 13 provinces, including the capital, Tehran. But Iran has 31 provinces and
authorities haven't taken the step to lock down the country like in the allied
nations of Iraq and Lebanon.
The teams
check travelers' temperatures and will send those with fevers to quarantine
centers. Iran has been urging people to stay home, but many have ignored the
call.
Apparently
in efforts to curb the spread of the virus, Iran has released 85,000 prisoners
on temporary leave, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said Tuesday. He
said that included half of all “security-related” prisoners, without
elaborating. Western nations have called on Iran to release dual nationals and
others held allegedly as bargaining chips in negotiations.
Among those
released is Mohammad Hossein Karroubi, the son of opposition leader Mehdi
Karroubi, who was in jail for nearly two months.
The kingdom
of Jordan deployed troops outside of major cities to block travel on Tuesday.
It also ordered newspapers to cease publishing, banned gatherings of more than
10 people and established a quarantine zone at Dead Sea hotels. It halted all
private sector work and public transportation as well.
In Oman, the
sultanate announced anyone coming from abroad would be subject to quarantine.
It also lifted restrictions on voice-over-IP internet calling services, which
are common across Gulf Arab nations.
Meanwhile in
Israel, the Defense Ministry was to roll out its plan to use near-empty hotel facilities,
ravaged by the crash in tourism, as recovery centers for patients diagnosed
with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
Two hotels
are to begin receiving patients on Tuesday with others likely to follow. The
facilities are to be overseen by medical officials with patients quarantined in
rooms, and food and other amenities delivered to the rooms by protected hotel
staff.
Israel's
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett issued orders Tuesday to allow into Israel
only those Palestinian workers and merchants whose work is deemed essential in
health, agriculture, nursing and construction. Workers allowed in will stay in
Israel for between one and two months.
Also,
following an overnight Cabinet approval, Israel’s internal Shin Bet security
service said it will begin deploying its phone-tracking technology to combat
the spread of the virus. The Shin Bet insisted the use will be limited only to
help “save lives” and warn those who have been exposed. Amid secrecy concerns,
it said the technology won’t be used to enforce quarantines and the data will
only be stored temporarily and available to just a select group of agents. The
emergency ordinance will be effective for 30 days.
___
Gambrell
reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Mehdi
Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, and Aron Heller in Jerusalem contributed to this
report.
___
The
Associated Press receives support for health and science coverage from the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is
solely responsible for all content.
Copyright
2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
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