Tehran (AFP)
Hundreds of faithful were present in the prayer room of the University of Tehran, wearing masks and respecting a physical distance meter, while employees sprayed the place with disinfectant products, noted an AFP photographer. .
Gradually closed throughout the Islamic Republic in the weeks following the announcement of the first cases of Covid-19 in February 2020, mosques had been authorized to reopen their doors during Ramadan (April 25 to May 24, 2020), but only in the areas least affected by the virus and not in the capital.
In recent months, however, prayers have been held outdoors, in mosque courtyards, with a limited number of worshipers, in Tehran and other major Iranian cities.
The number of daily cases and deaths linked to the coronavirus is relatively down in Iran, which had recorded a record of cases in August, struggling to stem a fifth wave of infections.
The country has thus counted more than 5.85 million cases including approximately 125,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health.
By the admission of several Iranian officials, these statistics greatly underestimate the number of deaths and cases.
So far, some 50.3 million people have received a first dose of the vaccine and 28 million people have been fully vaccinated, out of a population of 83 million.
© 2021 AFP