Financial Tribune: President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday announced a ban on travel to areas with high coronavirus transmission rates during the fast approaching Iranian New Year holidays (starting March 21) to stem the spread of a fourth wave of infections. “Travel to cities coded orange and red are prohibited. Do not plan to travel to those regions,” Rouhani said in the weekly meeting of the National Coronavirus Headquarters, President.ir reported.
Crowds of holiday shoppers are preparing for the 13-day Iranian New Year holidays, fanning fears that a fourth wave of the disease will be triggered. “The country’s healthcare system has a limit … I’m asking people not to take trips for the sake of their own safety,” the president warned. Based on the extent of transmission rates, the government color-codes regions as blue, the safest category, and yellow, orange and red, which marks the highest-risk areas. A total of 43 cities are currently coded orange and red, but their number will most likely increase over the next two weeks. Health officials update the status of cities every week.