Leader Urges Decisive Decisions, Collective Action to Tackle COVID-19 in Iran


Leader Urges Decisive Decisions, Collective Action to Tackle COVID-19 in Iran

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei gave the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters some guidelines to address the pandemic in Iran, calling for “decisive governmental decisions” and collective action to address the situation.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and members of the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters met with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Saturday.

In the gathering, Ayatollah Khamenei praised the national headquarters for its handling of the situation after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and stressed the need to take decisive governmental decisions, inform the public opinion, and promote cooperation among all organizations and people to contain the infectious disease.

“The goal of this meeting, arranged at the president’s invitation, is to address the regretful situation of COVID-19 in the country and the need for increased efforts and new initiatives to combat this virus,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, noting that a resurgence of the coronavirus in autumn is happening all over the world.

“In some countries like the US, they have had terrible management in facing COVID-19. But we should try to overcome this pandemic, which is affecting people’s lives, health, security, and economy, with the best form of management,” the Leader emphasized.

“We stress the need for unity and internal harmony within the country. Certain recent measures to denigrate the administration and President Hassan Rouhani were wrongful; I declare this firmly. Criticism is different from denigrating, and denigrating is religiously forbidden,” Ayatollah Khamenei further said.

 “It’s alright to criticize but this is different from insulting and denigrating. Denigrating is the US’ way in debates, etc. They have disgraced themselves in the world to the extent that a prominent American political figure said the world is watching the US in horror and scorn,” the Leader said, Khamenei.ir reported.

Ayatollah Khamenei further made a series of recommendations for combating the new phase of COVID-19, calling for the urgent launching of a base of operation to execute decisions made by the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters.

 The Health Ministry should be the prime decision-maker of limitations, the Leader stressed, urging “meticulous monitoring of country’s entry points, limiting needless travel between cities, convincing people and strict enforcement of regulations.”

 Emphasizing the need for public education on virus spread and prevention and using local resources such as mosques and the Basij, Ayatollah Khamenei called for strict punishment of offenders.

"The health professionals’ performance in combating COVID-19 has been extremely brilliant and is Jihad on the path of God. I also sincerely and wholeheartedly appreciate the researchers’ efforts to develop new medicines and a vaccine for fighting COVID-19," the Leader further said.

"Some people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19 do not receive unemployment insurance. The Social Welfare Organization is responsible to take action to resolve this problem."

"All of that which has been said are only tools, and what gives spirit to these tools is the Almighty God. We should beseech God and ask for His help in passing through this difficulty. And His mercy has always been upon the Iranian nation," the Leader concluded.

 The total number of people tested positive for COVID-19 infection in Iran has risen to 562,705, while the death toll has exceeded 32,000.

More than 450,000 patients have recovered from the coronavirus infection so far or have been discharged from hospitals across the country.

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