Iran has announced that it is reimposing coronavirus restrictions in major cities as the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant spurs fears of another devastating surge in the nation, reports AP.

After over a year of battling the worst virus outbreak in the Middle East, Iran has ordered the closures of non-essential businesses in 275 cities, including the capital, Tehran.

The shutdown of all public parks, restaurants, dessert shops, beauty salons, malls and bookstores applies to the country’s red and orange zones, or municipalities ranked as having an elevated risk of Covid-19.

The government has said it is also imposing a travel ban between cities with high infection rates.

Iran’s new restrictions are designed to slow the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant, first detected in India, which President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday was driving a potential “fifth wave” of infections in the country.