Tehran (AFP)
They are on the front lines against the new coronavirus, but nurses and doctors in Iran seem to have found a way to give themselves a break: dance.
For the past few days, videos have appeared on the internet presented as being filmed in Iranian hospitals and showing medical personnel in operating room uniforms, their faces hidden by a protective mask, dancing to the sound of Iranian traditional or pop music.
Several of these videos, shared on Twitter or Instagram, some of which approach 100,000 views, are accompanied by the hashtag "# Tchalèch-é raqs" (# challenge_dance in Persian) or "#Corona_ra_chekast_midahim" ("We are going to defeat the coronavirus ").
The initiative however displeased some, such as this surfer who denounces on Twitter a "sin". Conversely, Azar Mansouri, a reformist activist, sees these sequences as so many "memorable scenes".
"No words can express (our) gratitude for their efforts," she wrote. "They take care of the sick and at the same time keep the morale of their compatriots and their own families high."
"The only places where the morals police do not dare to go are the hospitals welcoming patients affected by the coronavirus," laughs another Persian-speaking Twitter user.
Iran is hit hard by the new coronavirus.
With 107 people succumbing to Covid-19, according to the latest official figures, Iran is, along with Italy, one of the countries where the epidemic has caused the most deaths after China.
The virus is a blow to the morale of the population, as in Tehran, where many residents remain cloistered at home, and gives them the impression of being cut off from the world after the cancellation by several airlines of their connections.
A few days ago, the death of a young nurse, Narjès Khanalizadeh, infected with the virus in contact with patients, deeply affected the country.
"They dance face to face with death," tweeted Peyman Yazdani, an Iranian photojournalist, saluting the courage and dedication of the healers.
© 2020 AFP