Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour also told a news conference that 1,657 new infections had been confirmed in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 71,686. Iran has carried out 263,388 tests for the virus so far, he added. Iran announced its first coronavirus cases on February 19 and has so far become the worst-hit country in the Middle East. On Saturday, it allowed small businesses to reopen outside the capital and this will be extended to the capital Tehran on April 18. Schools and universities are still shut across the Islamic republic, as are cinemas, sports stadiums and revered Shiite Muslim shrines.

Source: Dhaka Tribune April 12, 2020 10:41 UTC