From silencing medics to banning 'rumors': Here's why Iran is struggling contain its coronavirus outbreak

Three weeks ago, Iranian officials confidently said that the epidemic would not be a problem in their country. They even bragged about exporting face masks to their Chinese trading partners.

Source: The New York Times

That's far from what the country looks like now.

With more than 7,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, Iran is currently the fourth most-affected country in the world, falling behind China, South Korea, and Italy.

Source: John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center

Life in Iran has now come to a standstill. All of the country's schools and universities have closed down since February 23, alongside some cinemas and cultural centers.

Source: Business Insider

Public places including buses, subways, and taxi stations are being disinfected on a daily basis.

Source: Business Insider

Water consumption has reached the same level normally recorded in July — when people need more water due to the summer — because they are washing their hands so much more often.

Source: The Guardian

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has also been pictured wearing disposable gloves during a speech — an apparent health measure that he hadn't appeared to take before.

And the streets of Tehran, the country's capital, have been deserted as worries residents choose to stay home.

Tehran's traffic police said Sunday marked the least crowded day since 2008, journalist Abas Aslani tweeted.

Neighboring countries like Turkey and Pakistan have also closed their borders with Iran. Iraq has also imposed an entry ban on any incoming Iranians.

Sources: The Guardian, Wall Street Journal

But these measures don't seem to be enough. Iran's government has been accused of downplaying the severity of the epidemic and concealing important information that could have prevented further spread.

Source: The Atlantic

Overwhelmed medical staff have said they are being threatened with interrogation if they provide any information about patients, shortages, or fatalities to the media.

Source: The New York Times

The country's parliament also said it would sentence anyone found "spreading rumors" about the outbreak to flogging and up to three years in prison. These "rumors" have largely encompassed any information about the virus, rather than outright falsities.

Two worshippers at the Masumeh shrine in the holy city of Qom were arrested after they were filmed licking and kissing the shrine while saying: "I'm not scared of coronavirus."

Source: National Review, BBC

Meanwhile, Iran's top prosecutor general warned that hoarding face masks or other necessary equipment could end in the death penalty.

Authorities have said that wearing face masks doesn't necessarily help the average person prevent the coronavirus — hand-washing and avoiding close contact with potential carriers of the virus are more helpful.

Healthcare providers and anyone who could be infected should wear them, however.

Medical experts have warned that the number of infected individuals in the country is much higher than what is being reported by officials.

Source: The New York Times, The Atlantic

A general surgeon in Isfahan warned as many as 12,000 probably had the virus and did not know it.

Source: The Guardian

Meanwhile, public services are overwhelmed. A local politician for Rasht, a province northwest of Tehran, said hospitals were full, authorities were lying, and that the death toll was "a joke," as The Guardian put it.

Source: The Guardian

Authorities have also been slammed for not closing down the holy city of Qom, the site of the first outbreak and where millions visit every year. Despite advice from the Ministry of Health, mosques and shrines are still holding mass services for pilgrims.

Source: The New York Times

To make matters worse, more than 20 senior officials in Iran's parliament have also been infected with the coronavirus. They include Masoumeh Ebtekar, one of the country's vice presidents...

Source: Business Insider

... and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi, who was seen looking clearly flustered and unwell at a press conference on February 25.

Harirchi had previously told citizens that "we will defeat corona," according to a translation by Aslani.

Head of Iran's Disaster Management Organization, Ismail Najjar, also tested positive for the virus, according to state news agency Isna.

Source: Business Insider

Deputy Health Minister of #Iran Harirchi who is infected with #CoronaVirus had a joint presser along with spokesman of the government Rabiei yesterday among journalists. A footage published earlier had raised suspicion that he might had been infected with the virus. pic.twitter.com/IWKsga06SC

Some senior officials, including a member of the Supreme Leader's senior advisory council, have also died of the virus.

Source: Business Insider

The World Health Organization said that the situation in Iran is "deeply concerning."

Source: Business Insider