TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Minister of Interior Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said Saturday Iran plans to shut its border with Iraq in the southwestern Khuzestan province in order to contain a new wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
The national task force to fight the coronavirus has made new decisions to control the coronavirus in Khuzestan province, where the number of COVID-19 cases has risen in recent days, he said.
Rahmani Fazli said the border crossings with Iraq will be closed and travels among cities in the Khuzestan province will be prohibited.
The minister expressed hope that cooperation from people would help control the situation ahead of the new year holidays in Iran.
Officials have warned that the coronavirus has begun to spread rapidly in Khuzestan, stressing the need for new travel bans and strict controls at the border.
Several cities in the southwestern Iranian province have been categorized as red zones with a high risk of infection.
On Saturday, Iran’s health ministry reported 7,922 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, taking the overall caseload to more than 1,566,000.
Sixty-eight people lost their lives during the period, raising the death toll to 59,409.