DUBAI: Iran is planning new restrictions, including state employees working every other day in the capital Tehran, after a record surge in coronavirus cases on Friday, a senior official said.
Iran's Health Ministry reported 6,134 new cases for the previous 24 hours, bringing the national tally to 556,891 in the Middle East's hardest-hit country.
"One decision by the Tehran Coronavirus Taskforce is for staff at state bodies to be cut by 50% next week, and coming to work every other day," taskforce head Alireza Zali told state news agency IRNA.
He said authorities were also looking into having various job categories start work at different times to ease crowding and traffic.
The restrictions were expected to last for about a month in Tehran, where the coronavirus spread has been particularly alarming, Zali added.
Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari earlier told state TV that 335 people had died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing total fatalities to 31,985, as Iran fights a third wave of the disease.
Meanwhile, flag-carrier IranAir said it was resuming European flights which had been suspended in March because of the pandemic.
Iran plans new restrictions in capital as COVID cases hit record
https://arab.news/b9abx
Iran plans new restrictions in capital as COVID cases hit record
- IranAir said it was resuming European flights which had been suspended in March because of the pandemic
- Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told state TV that 335 people had died of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours
Senior Hamas figure reported killed in air strike in Gaza
- Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain
- Israel and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire
CAIRO: Two Israeli airstrikes killed five people in Deir Al-Balah in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, local health authorities said, and Palestinian media reported that one of those killed was a senior figure in the armed wing of Hamas.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident. Palestinian media identified him as Mohammed Al-Holy, describing him as a local Hamas commander in Deir Al-Balah. The militant group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since a fragile ceasefire took effect in October.
Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain. Nearly all of the territory’s more than 2 million people now live in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn and Hamas has reasserted control.
The United Nations children agency said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire and remain far apart from each other on key issues, despite the United States announcing the second phase of the ceasefire on Wednesday.
Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters on October, 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 71,000 people, according to health authorities in the strip, and left much of Gaza in ruins.
