JAKARTA - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged his citizens to pay attention to health protocols and maintain social distancing ahead of religious celebrations. The call was echoed after Iranian health officials previously announced that there had been a surge in COVID-19 cases in the holy city of Mashhad.
Antara, Sunday 26 July reported that Muslims around the world will undergo Eid al-Adha, which starts at the end of July. This year, Saudi Arabia limited the number of domestic pilgrims to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The majority of Iranians are Shia Muslims, who also celebrate the Ashura ceremony in September.
"Let's run noble celebrations at mosques and religious centers by following health protocols and maintaining physical distance," Rouhani said in a speech.
"Let's make (wearing) masks this year part of Muharram's commemoration," Ruhani said, referring to Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, which according to Islamic tradition Imam Hussein was killed that month in fighting in 680.
One of the rituals of Eid al-Adha is slaughtering sheep and distributing them to the poor. Iranian health officials have requested that the sacrificial meat be packaged before distribution to the public.
Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi urged the public not to visit the holy city of Mashhad, which he says has seen a 300 percent spike in COVID-19 cases for a month.
As of Saturday, total COVID-19 cases in Iran reached 288,839 with 15,485 deaths, said Health Ministry spokesman Sida Sadat Lari.
Iran has gradually relaxed restrictions on COVID-19 since mid-April, but they have been reinstated in most areas after a spike in cases.
On Saturday, officials in the capital Tehran extended the lockdown for another week.
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