CAIRO, Mar 23 (NNN-MENA) – The death toll from COVID-19 in Iran, soared to 1,685 on Sunday, as Syria reported the first case of infection.
A total of 21,638 people have been infected with the highly infectious virus so far, 7,913 of whom have recovered.
Earlier Sunday, the Iranian authorities ordered the closure of commercial centres, excluding convenience stores and pharmacies, in the capital.
Iran Mall, Iran’s biggest shopping centre, located in the west of Tehran, will be used as a temporary hospital, to provide 3,000 beds for patients.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Hossein Baqeri, said, 52 of 58 military hospitals across the country have begun receiving patients.
In Damascus, the Syrian Health Ministry confirmed the first case of COVID-19 infection, who came from abroad. All needed measures were taken to deal with the case.
On Sunday, the Syrian government announced suspension of public transportation, starting Monday (this) evening, which will be applied in all Syrian provinces.
So far, only two countries in the Middle East, Libya and Yemen, have not publicly reported any case of COVID-19 infection.– NNN-MENA
