Iranโs President Hassan Rouhani said mosques would reopen across large parts of the country Monday, as officials reported a drop in the number of deaths from the novel coronavirus.
Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said 47 people died of the virus over the past 24 hours, the lowest daily count in 55 days.
He told a news conference he hoped โthe trend will continue in the upcoming daysโ.
His remarks came as President Hassan Rouhani said 132 counties, around one third of the countryโs administrative divisions, would โreopen their mosques as of tomorrowโ.
โSocial distancing is more important than collective prayer,โ he said in a televised meeting of the countryโs virus taskforce.
The president argued that Islam considers safety obligatory, while praying in mosques is only โrecommended.โ
Mosques and some key Shiite shrines in Iran were closed in early March amid the Middle Eastโs deadliest COVID-19 outbreak. The targeted counties are โlow-riskโ, Rouhani said.
The Iran coronavirus taskforce was also mulling reopening schools by May 16 to allow for a month of classes before the summer break.
According to Jahanpour, the 47 new deaths brought to 6,203 the total number officially recorded in Iran since it reported its first cases in mid-February.
He added that 976 fresh infection cases were confirmed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 97,424.
