Iran implementing 6-day coronavirus lockdown

The Iranian government has imposed a six-day lockdown amid a current uptick of coronavirus cases, The Associated Press reported.

Starting Monday, all movie theaters, businesses, public markets, bazaars, and restaurants will be temporarily close. A travel ban between all Iranian cities will also be in place from Sunday to Friday, according to the AP.

The lockdown comes amid a recent surge of COVID-19 cases due to the highly contagious delta variant.

Iran, which has refused to use U.S.-developed vaccines, has been struggling with its vaccination rollout as 3.8 million people of the country’s 80 million have been fully vaccinated, the AP reported. 

Government officials have been currently using vaccines from China, Russia, and Italy while receiving aid from the United Nations’ COVAX program as well, adding that their own vaccine offers 85 percent protection against the virus. 

Iran’s health ministry spokesperson told the newswire that they can receive vaccines from western-civilized countries as along they are not from the U.S. or U.K, the AP reported. 

Iranian officials reported 466 new COVID-related deaths and 29,770 new cases as the country has seen 97,208 deaths and 4,439,085 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, the AP noted.