Iran imposes lockdown to check all citizens for virus

The Covid-19 epidemic in Iran has now claimed over 500 lives and infected more than 11,000.

Iran said Friday the security forces will clear the streets nationwide within 24 hours so all citizens can be checked for coronavirus - its toughest measure yet to combat the outbreak.
The Covid-19 epidemic in Iran - a nation of more than 80 million people - has now claimed over 500 lives and infected more than 11,000.
Since it announced the first deaths last month, Iran has shut schools, postponed events and discouraged travel ahead of Nowrouz, the country's New Year holidays.
But despite those and other measures including the cancellation of the main weekly Friday prayers, the official number of deaths and infections has continued to grow exponentially.
Iran's supreme leader on Thursday ordered the armed forces to lead the battle against the outbreak.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed the security forces to bring their services together and expand efforts to combat the virus.
Acting on those orders, armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri chaired a meeting on Friday that included Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami and police chief Hossein Ashtari.
News of the lockdown came as Iran said the novel coronavirus had claimed another 85 lives, its highest single-day toll since the first deaths were announced on February 19.
"Sadly, 85 people infected with the COVID-19 disease have died in the past 24 hours," health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said.
"Across the country, at least 1,289 infected people have been added to the list of confirmed patients."
In all, the ministry says 514 people have been killed by the illness out of 11,364 confirmed cases of infection in Iran.
Several politicians and officials have been infected, with some dying from the illness.

• MENA