Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, September 6, 2020—Over 99,600 people have died of the novel coronavirus in 410 cities checkered across all of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to reports tallied by the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Sunday afternoon local time, September 6. The official death count declared by the regime stands at 22,293, around a fifth of the actual figure.
The coronavirus death toll in various provinces include: 7134 in Razavi Khorasan, 4824 in Mazandaran, 4625 in Qom, 4520 in Isfahan, 4380 in Lorestan, 2831 in Alborz, 2811 in Fars, 2537 in Hamedan, 2356 in Kermanshah, 1599 in Kerman, 1589 in North Khorasan, 1339 in Hormozgan, 1293 in Markazi, 1231 in Bushehr, 1219 in Yazd, 1217 in Ardabil, and 954 in Zanjan. This is in addition to reports obtained from other provinces.
Over 99,600 dead of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran
Alireza Salimi, deputy chair of the Medical Apparatus Organization, called for a reconsideration in re-opening schools. “The protocols and instructions issued cannot be implemented in most schools. The incubation period of Covid-19 places children in grave danger as their classmates may have contracted the virus without showing any symptoms. This is not something that we can realize in our schools and/or control them,” he said on Sunday. “The reopening of schools is considered an important social development, results in an increase in inner-city commuting and will have widespread impacts,” Salimi added, according to the semi-official ILNA news agency.
“It was not at all an appropriate decision to reopen schools. Today we should be expecting a new wave of illnesses after the recent trips and various ceremonies during which some people abided by health protocols and some did not,” said Minoo Mohraz, a member of the National Covid-19 Task Force, on Sunday. “If this wave is launched and coincides with kids going to school, we will be witnessing a very dangerous situation. They should have at least allowed two weeks to pass. During this very period the situation in some areas may become very chronic,” she continued, according to the state-run website Jamaran website. “None of the officials I have talked to since yesterday can provide any reasoning for this decision. Many provinces have refused to reopen schools in such circumstances and literally disobeyed the minister’s orders. It is quite telling that an order issued from the top cannot be implemented.”
“It is not possible to create a safe space for children in schools. It is naive to think kids at such an age would listen to us and abide by protocols,” said former education minister Morteza Haji on Sunday. “If threats do not exist for the kids, naturally it wouldn’t have threatened President [Hassan Rouhani]. Why did he have to announce the start of the school year online while students have to stand in lines and attend classes? Logically, he should have gone to a school and shown that they have provided a safe environment and there is no problem for the students to attend school,” he added, according to ILNA.
“If children contract the virus, due to the fact that we do not have ICUs for children in most cities across Gilan province [northern Iran], and the very limited capacity of the ICU section in the provincial capital, providing medical care for such cases will be redoubled,” said Anush Barzigar, head of the Gilan Province Medical Apparatus, on Saturday. “In our viewpoint, those who reopened schools will be responsible for the death of even one student or teacher, and this is an unforgivable mistake. The Gilan Medical Apparatus Organization considers the consequences of reopening of schools as very dangerous,” he added.
Mohammad Hassan Asafari, a member of the Majlis (parliament), said, “Today, they reopened schools without notifying many of the teachers and principals. In many regions, the schools have not even been disinfected. We can’t allow the people’s health to be compromised like this. Tell the health minister that the coronavirus outbreak is serious.” (Source: ICANA news agency, September 6)
The state-run Resalat newspaper quoted Hosseinali Shahriari, chairman of the healthcare committee in the Majlis, as saying, “According to assessments, a billion euros has been withdrawn from the national reserve fund but has not been deposited to the account of the health ministry… unfortunately, there are serious problems in providing medication in the country. If the funding is not provided, our problems will grow worse…. The president considers himself an expert in every field and makes decisions that many of us oppose. One of these decisions is the reopening of schools, which we oppose…. As fall begins, we are worried about the health of students and their families.”
The caretaker of Alborz Medical Sciences University confirmed 393 hospitalized coronavirus patients, 108 critically ill patients, and eight Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency. “The total number of deaths in the province has reached 975,” the caretaker said.
The provincial governor of Lorestan that in the past week the number of cases in the province has grown by 30 percent, reported Mehr News Agency, affiliated with the Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS). “The increase in the number of cases is alarming, and given past experience, it might entail an increase in the number of coronavirus deaths,” the governor said.
Iran coronavirus outbreak death toll interactive map
