Sima Sadat Lari announces new provinces in red and alarming situations while, as usual, she omits some others. With addition of the new ones on the list, 24 out of 31 provinces are in critical status. According to the Ministry of Health Spokesperson, North Khorasan, Khozestan, Khorasan Razavi, East Azerbaijan, Hormozgan are designated red and Tehran, Alborz, Lorestan, Kohgiloye-Boyerahmad, Zanjan, Isfahan, Mazandaran, Golestan and Ilam are “alarming”. IRNA, the official news agency for the government, reports West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Sistan-Baluchestan, Zanjan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Yazd, Kerman, Hamedan and Ardebil are in “red” or “alarming” but of course, not everybody has access to internet to see it! Considering the pattern Ministry has shown and the list from yesterday, that makes almost 80% of the country!
National Corona Combating Task Force held its weekly meeting today and its head, Hassan Rouhani, had nothing to say in terms of plans or reimposing travel restrictions, at least, but bragging about how good everything has been managed since the crisis has “reemerged” almost a month ago! He, as suaul, continued by comparing regime’s performance against the virus with foreign countries, “We can’t close the country for long, nobody can. Some EU countries has reopened in a week, some in 2-3 week period. There is no other choice but to live with this virus. We’re fighting it for 5 months, we may have to do it for 5 more months too!” At the same time, President of Tehran City Council was speaking to reporters asking National Task Force to close and quarantine Tehran to stop the infection spread.
He continued, “The deaths number was in 2 digits in the first month of the outbreak, then it was 3 digits for another month, we did a good job and it came down to 2 digits again. Hopefully, with people’s and all organizations, in the next 4-5 days that it would be one month since it has bounced back up to 3 digits, it goes back to 2 digits again.” Sommeone should update “the President” that the deaths figures are increasing and in case he’s missed the news, it has broken the records twice in 2 days! However, we should wait and see if this time his “wish” would come true or like his Health Minister wishing Khuzestan to be relieved of the crisis 2 weeks ago, this one won’t be granted either!
Islamic Republic President added no gathering should be held and everybody must wear masks. Businesses and foremen at factories should supervise following of health instructions. He “thanked” the people who wore mask in the past week helping to stop the spread. He also asked Judiciary to help with controlling gatherings and supervising of people wearing masks! He didn’t shy away from bragging about “not having any shortage of water, electricity and natural gas” across the country during almost the 144 days “fighting the virus.” People are dying in hundreds, based on the widely scrutinized and manipulated numbers of Ministry of Health, but Rouhani is happy they at least have had water, electricity and gas while dying! Rouhani continued, “We should not scare people of Corona and at the same time not normalize it.” How about telling the truth and letting people decide for themselves?!
Moreover, IRNA, the official government’s news agency, keep reporting on Rouhani’s two terms “achievements” in different sectors, including expansion of healthcare system, for example, in Zanjan. At the same time, Zanjan officials whose their province is in deep COVID-19 crisis complain about shortage of medical supplies and hospital beds.
Basic Reproduction Rate (R0) and graphs show the unstoppable catastrophe for 144 days! Unless Islamic Republic decides to change something in the course of controlling COVID-19, this disease will keep killing Iranians for the foreseeable future.
R0: 1.29
Total: 255,117 (+2,397)
Dead: 12,635 (+188)
Healed: 217,666
Critical: 3,338 (+19)
Admitted: 24,816 (-442)
Tests: 1,947,114 (Number of labs wasn’t mentioned in today’s news. Officials may have finally figured out there are discrepancies when they lie.)
