Iran has launched a campaign to motivate a reluctant public to use face masks as the country faces a sharp increase in infections and deaths from the coronavirus.

Launching the “#I wear mask” campaign, Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi pleaded with citizens, especially young Iranians, to take the disease seriously.

“In our country, every 33 seconds, one person is infected with the coronavirus, and every 13 minutes, one person dies from it,” he said.

An employee of a stock brokerage firm wearing a protective face mask monitors stock prices on her computer, following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran. — Reuters/File
An employee of a stock brokerage firm wearing a protective face mask monitors stock prices on her computer, following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran. — Reuters/File

“I desperately — and in a friendly way — plead with people to cooperate in observing medical protocols for their own sake and that of others,” Harirchi said.

Opinion

Editorial

Larijani’s killing
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Larijani’s killing

The late Larijani was one of the most powerful men in Iran — a thinker and a soldier.
War’s hunger toll
19 Mar, 2026

War’s hunger toll

THE conflict between the US, Israel and Iran continues to widen with far-reaching repercussions.The UN’s World ...
Let them in
Updated 19 Mar, 2026

Let them in

THE government need not be so difficult. Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sons, Kasim and Sulaiman, have not ...
Exit strategy
Updated 18 Mar, 2026

Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned...
Unsafe trains
18 Mar, 2026

Unsafe trains

SUNDAY’S accident involving the Shalimar Express has once again brought into sharp focus the deep structural and...
Disappointment in Dhaka
18 Mar, 2026

Disappointment in Dhaka

FOR a side looking for lift-off after a disappointing T20 World Cup, it was despair for Shaheen Shah Afridi’s ...