Iran sets record for coronavirus deaths, cases for second straight day

Iran set the nation’s single-day record for new coronavirus deaths and cases for the second day in a row on Monday.

The country documented 272 fatalities and more than 4,200 new cases on Monday, breaking its single-day record set on Sunday, The Associated Press reported.  

The Iranian government is struggling to control the growing number of deaths and infections, with officials instituting stricter coronavirus restrictions and punishments in the capital, Tehran, this month. 

The city’s universities, schools, libraries, mosques, movie theaters, museums and beauty salons have shut down and masks are mandated outdoors and in public places in the city. 

Iran’s health minister, Saeed Namaki, is now calling for tougher punishments against those who violate these policies, as the fine for not wearing a mask is about the price of a burger downtown, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

As in the U.S., Iranian residents appear tired of restrictions and practicing social distancing. Namaki said the city’s 7,000 health inspectors cannot control the city, which has a population of more than 10 million.

The health minister said he authorized the police and Basij forces, used for internal security, to enforce the coronavirus restrictions, which he said will soon be instituted in other Iranian cities, according to the AP.

Early in the pandemic, Iran became one of the first epicenters for COVID-19 and quickly emerged as the worst outbreak in the Middle East.

At the time, international experts predicted that the Iranian government was not sharing the accurate numbers, which officials admitted later saying the actual number of cases was “eight to 10 times” higher. 

Overall, Iran has reported 504,281 COVID-19 cases and 28,816 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

The number of cases has risen steadily since June, after the country reopened to help its struggling economy, and reached higher points in recent weeks.

The record death toll on Sunday, along with U.S. blacklisting of Iranian banks, caused the Iranian currency to plummet to its “lowest level ever,” the AP noted.