(Radio Farda) While the Iranian public has been demanding the closure of the holy shrine of Masoumeh in Qom out of concern for the coronavirus epidemic, the shrine's superintendent, cleric Mohammad Saeedi, insists that people should visit the shrine to seek a cure for coronavirus. Saeedi's office says the architecture of the shrine and its metal ornaments strongly protect everyone against viruses. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on TV that the situation will be normal by Saturday. He ruled out imposing a quarantine on Qom at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, insisting that the coronavirus is a Western conspiracy to shut down the economy in Iran. In the meantime, groups of people have been taking part in ritualistic processions, beating on huge drums and self-flagellating in a bid to ward off the virus.
2020-02-27 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive