Health and Hygiene

Iran-HRM – A random Corona test done in Ward 8 of Evin Prison on Sunday, August 9, revealed that 12 of the 17 inmates tested positive. The 12 inmates have been transferred the prison’s dispensary. Activist teacher Esmail Abdi, labor activist Jafar Azimzadeh, lawyer Amir Salar Davoudi, Majid Azarpay, Fereydoun Ahmadi and Saeed Sharifi are among the 12 infected inmates …

Radiofarda – An Iranian health official on Sunday warned that the Health Ministry’s protocols are not likely to contain the spread of the virus during the upcoming Shiite ceremonies and warned about a third wave of the pandemic in autumn. Dr. Minoo Mohraz, the Head of the Iranian Center for HIV/AIDS and a pioneer AIDS specialist, said masks cannot prevent …

VOA – Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian journalist who has been jailed in her country since 2015 for human rights advocacy and who told supporters last month she was showing coronavirus symptoms, appears to have recovered from them, according to her husband. In a written message sent to VOA Persian on Tuesday, Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, living in exile in Paris, …

Radiofarda – In exclusive video-taped interviews sent to Radio Farda by citizen-journalists from Iran, residents of Karaj — the capital city of Alborz Province — say the situation with COVID pandemic is more critical now and allege that the government is hiding the true numbers. Alborz Province is currently experiencing a second and more intense wave of the pandemic. Even according to …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s coronavirus death toll rose by 212 in the past 24 hours to 17,617, a health ministry official said on Tuesday. With 2,751 new infections, the total number of infections in Iran reached 314,786, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. Authorities in Iran have divided the country into white, yellow, and red zones, depending on the severity …

Al- monitor – Iran is seeing an “alarming” surge in cases, the country’s Health Ministry said Sunday, as it reported its highest one-day tally in more than three weeks.  After registering 2,685 new cases in 24 hours on Sunday — Iran’s worst infection count since July 8 — health officials reported a slightly lower number on Monday. Health Ministry spokesperson Sima Sadat …

RFL/RE – Despite an upsurge in coronavirus infections in Iran and a ban on weddings and large funerals, the country’s famed gatherings of mourners during the Shi’ite month of Muharram will be held. The controversial decision was announced earlier this week by Iranian President Hassan Rohani amid speculation he would bend under pressure from hard-liners who oppose any limits on …

VOA – The foreign ministers of longstanding regional foes Iran and the United Arab Emirates agreed on Sunday that they would strive to cooperate during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In a video call during which they also exchanged greetings for the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan told his Iranian counterpart that strengthening bilateral cooperation was important element …

Radiofarda – The coordinator of anti-coronavirus operations in Iran’s capital says “exciting slogans” are not an answer to the pandemic and “efficient management” should be used to fight the pandemic. As the coronavirus crisis shows no sign of abating in Iran and the situation in the capital is critical, Dr. Alireza Zali says Greater Tehran with a dense population of …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Prisoners in many prisons do not have access to disinfectant products and masks. Overcrowding, malnutrition, and the sick and the elderly who are considered high risk to COVID-19, mixed with other prisoners, have all exacerbated the situation. Yet, the authorities continue to lie and cover-up. Iran Human Rights once again calls on the World Health …