Iranians have been told to ‘prepare for the worst’ as the country faces a potential second wave of coronavirus cases.
The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths.
But on Sunday, the country reported 2,979 new cases of COVID-19, the highest since the lifting of restrictions. There were also 81 new deaths.
It means there have been 154,445 infections and 7,878 deaths in total, according to official figures.
Officials attributed the jump in cases to people attending weddings and funerals, despite official pleas for them not to.
Health minister Saeed Namaki said in a televised interview: ‘People seem to think the coronavirus is over… some officials also believe everything is back to normal.
‘The coronavirus is not only far from over, but we could at any moment see (another) dangerous peak.’
Iranians have been told to ‘prepare for the worst’ as the country faces a potential second wave of coronavirus cases
May saw an uptick in the rate of reported infections compared with mid to late April – an acceleration the government put down to increased testing.
‘The outbreak is not over yet and at any moment it may come back stronger than before,’ Mr Namaki added.
‘If our people fail to respect the health protocols … we must prepare ourselves for the worst situation.’
According to Namaki, the provinces of Sistan and Baluchistan, Kermanshah, and Hormozgan are currently struggling with surges in infections.
He added that half Iran’s fatalities for the past day were recorded in three provinces, without naming them.
‘If this continues, deaths can reach three digits again.’
Infections have been on a rising trajectory in the Islamic republic since hitting a near two-month low on May 2.
Experts both at home and abroad have voiced scepticism about Iran’s official figures, saying the real toll could be much higher.
The Islamic Republic, one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East, started easing its lockdown in April after a drop in deaths. But on Sunday, the country reported 2,979 new cases of COVID-19, the highest since the lifting of restrictions
Health officials have repeatedly raised the alarm for Khuzestan province on Iran’s southwestern border with Iraq.
Khuzestan remains ‘red’, the highest level on Iran’s colour-coded risk scale, and is the only province where the government has reimposed a lockdown.
‘We pleaded with the people to not hold weddings or funerals but they did not listen’ especially in Khuzestan, said Namaki.
Government employees went back to work and mosques resumed daily prayers on Saturday as part of the relaxation of the lockdown.
But authorities had to reimpose restrictions in Khuzestan and nearby Sistan Baluchestan in mid-May after an uptick of cases there.
‘There is still a long way ahead of us in our fight against this virus … All the health protocols should be respected,’ Namaki said.
It comes after harrowing footage showed sick people collapsing in streets across the country.
In one of the clips, a man was seen slumped on the kerb in Zahedan, southeast Iran, coughing and clearly in severe pain.
It means there have been 154,445 infections and 7,878 deaths in total, according to official figures
In another, a woman lay face-down on the floor of a Metro station while bystanders gave her a wide berth.
Distrust in the country has grow over the Iranian government’s alleged cover-up of the pandemic, with fears that the death toll may be five times as high as reported.
Ambulance records handed to MailOnline show that three Iranian employees of the Chinese embassy in Tehran were hospitalised with suspected covid-19 symptoms on January 28.
It wasn’t until three weeks later, on February 19, that Iran’s first covid patient, a merchant, was officially identified in Qom, about 100 miles south of Tehran.
Activists accused the Iranian leadership of hushing up the earlier cases, in order not to embarrass the Chinese. Tehran relies heavily on Chinese support as US sanctions continue to bite, they said.
But an Iranian government spokesman hit back, claiming that the embassy workers, who had high fevers and severe coughs, did not have coronavirus. They have since been discharged from hospital.