Coronavirus deaths in Iran 'rising but steady' after shops, parks reopen

Iran's daily increase in coronavirus deaths remained below 100 on Thursday, after shops, bazaars and parks reopened this week, news agency Reuters reported.

The Thursday report said Iran's coronavirus death tally – which stood at 90 for the day – was rising but "holding steady" after restrictions stemming the spread of the virus were relaxed.

The daily rise in the death toll – which was held below 100 since April 14 – did not overstep the cap after Iranians returned to shops and parks, Reuters said.

Iran has been hard-hit by the coronavirus, becoming one of the worst affected countries in the Middle East.

The total number of recorded coronavirus-related deaths in Iran reached 5,481 by Friday, while confirmed infections stood at over 87,000.

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Iran's authorities also lifted the inter-city travel ban this week. Reuters observed state TV footage showing Tehran packed with cars and shoppers.

Read more: Iran allows some Tehran businesses to reopen following virus lockdown

Schools and universities have remained closed, while the ban on religious and social gatherings persists.

In its Thursday's report, the World Health Organisation said a total of 6,689 new coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours, with confirmed cases of infection surpassing 2.5 million globally.

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