TEHRAN, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Saturday a plan to intensify compulsory measures to fight the COVID-19, starting by the Greater Tehran area, official news agency IRNA reported.
"Last Thursday, we asked the Security and Social Committee and the Health Committee to offer a special plan for Greater Tehran before the end of this week, so that we do not let people who do not wear masks go off so easily," Rouhani said.
Speaking in Tehran at a meeting of the National Headquarters for Managing and Fighting the Coronavirus, the president stressed the importance of the observance of health protocols by the people.
The level of compliance with requirements made by medical authorities is between 48 to 53 percent in Iran, he noted, and it should surpass 90 percent.
According to the plan, services should be denied to individuals not wearing face masks in taxis, buses, markets, shopping centers or banks, and service providers offering services will be held accountable, he elaborated.
Rouhani pointed to the need to punish also individuals not wearing masks in public spaces, and said Iran has the necessary means to identify violators.
If the plan is approved by Iran's National Headquarters for COVID-19, it will first be implemented in the Greater Tehran area within a four to five days period, and if successful, it will be extended to other Iranian big cities, Rouhani explained.
On Friday, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced an overnight registration of more than 200 deaths over COVID-19. Enditem
