Iran to issue fines for those not wearing masks
Struggling to slow a third wave of the coronavirus, Iran is hoping issuing fines will help.
In an effort to slow down the third wave of the coronavirus in Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said the country would fine those not following the health guidelines that have been recommended by the Health Ministry.
Rouhani announced the fines Oct. 1 at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Combatting Coronavirus. He said the fines would be applicable to offices, private businesses and public spaces. Provinces would have some discretion in how strict they would be required to adhere to the health protocols. The plan to issue fines for those not wearing masks was initially presented Aug. 18, but in recent statements by administration officials, it appears they are at least threatening to do so now.
According to Rouhani, authorities will have to be stricter in the coming months with issuing fines because of the flu on top of the coronavirus.
In the last 24 hours, 211 people in Iran have died of the coronavirus. The daily death rate had recently dropped to around 150 and even lower but has been slowing climbing back up. Over 26,000 Iranians have died from the virus. Health Ministry officials have previously said, however, that this number only includes confirmed deaths, meaning those 26,000 had tested positive for the virus before they died, and other individuals who had been treated for the virus and were symptomatic but were never tested were not included in the official numbers.
