After the Corona outbreak, why did the Iranian president warn of a long-term epidemic?

Al-Jazeera Net-Tehran

Opinions varied in Iran regarding the statements of President Hassan Rouhani on the possibility of the continuation of the Corona epidemic for the next two years, between those who saw it aiming to prepare the people to face a protracted crisis, and others who stressed the necessity of taking it seriously, as it comes on the basis of reliable reports.

Rouhani said yesterday in the cabinet meeting that his country has surpassed the peak of the outbreak of the Corona virus (Covid-19) in some provinces, and that the epidemic has taken a downward trend, calling for the creation of community conditions to confront the pandemic and coexist with it until it provides a drug or vaccine.

"I would like to make it clear to our people that the Corona issue is not a crisis that can end in a week or month in Iran or the world. This virus has come and entered society, and it can remain for a year or two," Rouhani added.

This talk raised the concern of a segment of society that it expressed on social media platforms, while its political opponents considered it a justification for the government's failure to contain the virus after its failure to prevent it from reaching the country.

A long-term epidemic
However, Dr. Shihab Yousfi fled defended the government's performance in combating the Corona outbreak, saying that given the limited capabilities available, especially in light of the US sanctions, what the government has done so far exceeded expectations, and Iranian medical staff have scored highly efficient in combating the global pandemic.

And he read - in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net - Rouhani's words in the preliminary circle to face an epidemic that might last a long period of its outbreak, considering that Rouhani's statements came based on the reports of doctors and specialized committees, and they must be taken seriously.

From the point of view of the medical teams, Youssef Farr emphasized that the new virus is still unknown, and we do not know much about it, and therefore many hypotheses exist regarding it, including the lack of a vaccine for it in the near future, or its continuation even in the summer period, although it is relatively contained, but This does not mean eliminating it permanently.

Accusations and pressures
Politically, Rouhani's opponents continue to criticize his government for what they see as a failure to limit the spread of the virus, and the delay in taking precautionary measures that would have prevented the epidemic from spreading across all provinces.

The conservative politician who won the last parliamentary elections, Nizamuddin Mousavi, referred to the statement of the reformist analyst Abbas Abdi, who attributed the reason behind the Rouhani government’s delay in taking tough decisions to its belief that the epidemic is a valuable opportunity to lift the sanctions, describing this government’s vision as more catastrophic than the Corona pandemic.

In a series of his tweets on Twitter, Mousavi accused President Rouhani's government of failing to tackle the new virus. Referring to the implementation of the Social Divergence Plan, which places restrictions on movement and the movement of citizens between governorates, he asked about the bodies that must bear responsibility for increasing casualties and high losses due to the outbreak.

He also criticized the government's performance in its refusal to impose comprehensive quarantine, especially on affected cities and regions, considering that failure to comply with the directions of specialists is the main factor in the spread of the virus and its continuation for a longer period.

Rouhani had called on his political opponents to support his government in tackling the virus and bypassing the ordeal, stressing that the current conditions are not appropriate for political or partisan conflict.

Rouhani's vision
As for the political analyst, Siyush Falah Pour, he saw that Rouhani's recent statements indicate the pace of his keeping up with the epidemic, similar to his Western counterparts, as they faced the disaster after refusing and denying a confession, then talking about the dimensions of the disaster for their citizens.

In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, he said that the ambiguity surrounding the virus has confused many governments around the world in dealing with it, and that criticism of Rouhani's government may not be in place, explaining that observers in the world praise the performance of the medical authorities in Iran.

"We cannot deny the impact of the US sanctions on various Iranian sectors, including the medical system," he said, explaining that they have hindered the development of the medical device during the past years and providing it with the necessary supplies.

While he ruled out that Tehran's endeavors would lead to the lifting of sanctions on Iran, Falah Pour stressed that what was stated by Rouhani regarding the possibility of the epidemic continuing during a period of up to two years is not a personal opinion, but rather a global trend that has been repeated by many world leaders.