TEHRAN – People who endanger the whole society due to non-observance of health protocols will be forced to work in hospitals to provide services to coronavirus patients, the governor of Zanjan has said.

“To prevent the incidence of COVID-19 in Zanjan, we proposed a plan called “alternative punishment to imprisonment” to the judiciary to punish those who do not follow the health guidelines by working in hospitals to serve COVID-10 patients,” YJC quoted Reza Asgari as saying on Sunday.

Fortunately, the plan has been approved by the prosecutor and gone into effect, he highlighted.

Coronavirus deplorable in Iran

Massoud Mardani, a member of the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control, said that the pandemic condition in the country is deplorable and there are no empty beds in the hospitals.

In the current situation, basic measures must be considered to deal with the third wave of the virus, he highlighted.

Lamenting that unnecessary gatherings and trips speeded up the disease transmission, he urged people not to travel and heed the advice of health officials, because if the current situation continues, the virus will get out of control.

According to him, using a mask outdoors is essential for everyone and everyone is required to follow the hygiene principles.

COVID-19 is a newly-emerging disease that can be described as the most complex threat to human health which leads to severe respiratory problems, he noted, adding that the virus is transmitted through direct contact with the respiratory droplets of an infected person through sneezing and coughing.

Public education is informing, empowering, and increasing community participation with the aim of observing health principles and paying attention to the recommendations of health officials as a way to prevent the disease. Proper use of personal protective equipment is the most important strategy to control the virus, he explained.

The coronavirus can stay on the surface for several hours, and the proper use of disinfectants also plays an important role in controlling it, he concluded.

COVID-19 mortality hit 30,000 in Iran

In the press briefing on Sunday, Health Ministry spokesperson Sima-Sadat Lari confirmed 3,890 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 530,380. She added that 427,400 patients have so far recovered, but 4,744 still remain in critical conditions of the disease.

In the past 24 hours, 252 patients have lost their lives, bringing the total number of deaths to 30,375, she added.

Lari noted that so far 4,511,154 COVID-19 tests have been conducted across the country.

She said the high-risk “red” zones include provinces of Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, East Azarbaijan, South Khorasan, Semnan, Qazvin, Lorestan, Ardebil, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad, Gilan, Bushehr, Zanjan, Ilam, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Alborz, West Azarbaijan, Markazi, Kerman, North Khorasan, Hamedan, and Yazd.

The provinces of Kordestan, Hormozgan, Fars, and Golestan are also on alert.

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