Coronavirus: Pak-Iran border closes temporarily

Pakistan closed Pak-Iran borders on Sunday with Iran following a spike in novel coronavirus cases in the country.

According to the details, Pakistan on Sunday announced that it would as a precautionary measure “temporarily” close Taftan border with Iran as an alarm grows over a spike in new coronavirus infections, with the government gearing up measures to keep coronavirus at bay.

Tehran has confirmed eight deaths from the novel coronavirus on Sunday, the highest toll of any country outside China, with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accusing foreign media of trying to use the outbreak to sabotage the polls.

In addition to Pakistan, Kuwait, Turkey and Afghanistan have also sealed off their borders with Tehran in the wake of the spike in coronavirus cases that have claimed 10 lives as of yet.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove confirmed the travel restrictions, saying the border was temporarily closed by the authorities in light of reports of coronavirus deaths in Iran.

Coronavirus hits Iran: report

Earlier on February 19, Iran’s Health Ministry confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in the country on Wednesday, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said the two cases were confirmed in Qom city, south of Tehran.

According to the sources of Anadolu Agency, A number of suspected cases were also quarantined in the same city in the past two days, he said. He, however, did not reveal the nationalities of the confirmed cases.

On Wednesday, China’s National Health Commission said the coronavirus death toll in the country was up to 2,005, and 136 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.

Over 75,000 cases have been confirmed in China and other countries, including the U.S., UK, Singapore, France, Russia, Spain, and India.

The number of people under observation in China is over 135,000 and nearly 12,000 are said to be in serious condition.