TEHRAN — Iran’s health ministry spokesman said out of the country’s 31 provinces, 12 are currently considered as high-risk “red zones” in terms of coronavirus transmission.

In her press briefing on Tuesday, Sima-Sadat Lari said Khuzestan, West Azarbaijan, East Azarbaijan, Khorasan Razavi, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Golestan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Bushehr, and Mazandaran provinces are considered as “red zones”.

She said 13 other provinces, namely Tehran, Fars, Ardabil, Isfahan, Alborz, South Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Lorestan, Hamadan, Yazd, Kerman, and North Khorasan are also considered orange (alarming) zones.

Authorities also announced a decision to once more shutter some businesses in the capital to contain the virus’ resurgence.

The reimposition of restrictive measures comes after the government had progressively lifted them from April to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

Lari said 179 patients have died of the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, increasing the overall death toll to 13,211.

She also confirmed 2,521 new cases of COVID-19 infection, raising the total number of infections to 262,173.

The spokeswoman said 225,270 patients have so far recovered from COVID-19, but 3,389 are still in severe conditions of the disease.

She further stressed that so far 2,023,079 COVID-19 tests have been taken across the country.

The one-week measure in Tehran includes the closure of gyms, pools, zoos and cafes, ISNA news agency quoted Tehran's Deputy Governor Hamidreza Goudarzi as saying.

“Holding any social, cultural and religious events and conferences is banned from today for a week,” he said.

The republic has been struggling to contain the virus since announcing its first cases in mid-February.

It has refrained from enforcing full lockdowns to stop the pandemic’s spread and resorted to closing schools, cancelling public events and banning movement between provinces in March before lifting them. — Agencies