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As Iran's Coronavirus Death Toll Rises, Secrecy and Paranoia Are Driving the Nation's Response

(New York Times) Farnaz Fassihi - Iran is being battered by coronavirus infections that have killed 77 people, among the most outside of China, officials said Tuesday. But instead of receiving government help, overwhelmed doctors and nurses say they have been warned by security forces to keep quiet. Some say Tehran is understating the true extent of the outbreak because it will be viewed as a failure that enemies will exploit. Telephone interviews and text messages with more than a half dozen Iranian medical workers have revealed that security agents are stationed in each hospital who have forbidden staff members from disclosing any information related to the coronavirus. The health minister, Saeed Namaki, on Sunday announced a plan to dispatch 300,000 Basij militiamen to go house to house to screen residents and disinfect their homes. Iranian doctors immediately criticized the plan, saying that untrained militiamen were more likely to spread the virus than to contain it. While the streets of Tehran are deserted as residents fear contagion, in the holy city of Qom, mosques and shrines are still holding mass worship services for visiting pilgrims.
2020-03-04 00:00:00
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