Iranian officials have vowed to check the entire population of more than 80 million people for coronavirus amid Covid-19 epidemic in the country.
With over 15,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus and more than 800 deaths in Iran, the government has taken drastic measures, including a total lockdown, in order to stop the virus from spreading further.
On Thursday, the country’s supreme leader ordered the army to lead the fight against the killer bug and join forces with other service branches.
As the newly established task force confirmed, they were tasked to clear all public places and impose a complete lock down in less than 24 hours.
“During the next 10 days, the entire Iranian nation will be monitored once through cyberspace, by phone and, if necessary, in person, and those suspected of being ill will be fully identified,” Major General Mohammad Bagheri confirmed.
Following the outbreak, the Iranian government also shut down all schools and postponed major events following a surge in confirmed Covid-19 cases.
Despite taking these measures, however, the number of infected people continues to soar high.
Previously, numerous videos and pictures of Iranians licking shrines in order to prove to the world that the coronavirus outbreak doesn’t scare them have begun circulating the internet.
As one journalist who shared disturbing content on social media explained, she urged the government to temporarily shut down religious sites in order to protect the people from the virus.
“While the city of Qom is the epicenter of #CoronaVirus in Iran, authorities refuse to close down religious shrines there,” Masih Alinejad wrote online.
“These pro-regime people are licking the shrines & encouraging people to visit them. Iran’s authorities are endangering lives of Iranians & the world.”
According to the reports, one anonymous culprit from Mashhad even got arrested after licking a popular shrine in front of stunned passersby.
“What the detainee did was anomalous, and investigation into his case is underway,” the judiciary said after the incident.
As Alinejad went on to claim in one of her tweets, some Iranians are going as far as forcing their young kids to lick the shrines in an attempt to make their families look brave.
“Not only is this child abuse, but it’s also helping the virus spread Iran and to other countries. Iran’s authorities still adamantly refuse to close these religious sites. The virus is wreaking havoc all over the country,” the journalist wrote.
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