Iran’s Confusing Coronavirus Response: ‘No Quarantine,’ but Stay Home

A man wearing a protective face mask and plastic gloves walks along a street in Iran's cap
STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani insisted on Sunday that “there is no such thing as quarantine” in the country to prevent the spread of Chinese coronavirus, later urging Iranians to stay in their homes.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei separately warned on Sunday that any measures to contain the virus were “mandatory,” sending conflicting messages regarding if Iranians were under isolation.

Khamenei’s stern warning to the Iranian people to obey all health officials’ recommendations represented a marked change in tone from a week or two ago, when he was insisting that it was “not such a big tragedy” as news organizations internationally had warned. At the time of Khamenei’s prior comments downplaying the outbreak, dozens of government officials, including lawmakers and Iranian Cabinet members, had reportedly tested positive for the virus.

Rouhani unwittingly revealed tensions between Tehran and local governments by insisting on Sunday that no governors “are allowed to make decisions about lockdowns,” reportedly following an announcement of such a lockdown by the governor-general of Khuzestan, according to Radio Farda.

“We have no such thing as quarantine at all. There have been rumors that certain jobs and stores in Tehran or some cities will be quarantined. They are not true,” Rouhani said, according to PressTV.

“There is no such thing, not today, not during the New Year holidays, not before or after that,” Rouhani insisted, regarding the question of quarantine. Rouhani did recommend social distancing and voluntarily attempts to keep individuals apart to prevent a rapid spread of the outbreak.

“The people should stay home as much as possible. They should not gather together and everything should be according to hygienic protocols,” Radio Farda quoted Rouhani as saying, citing state media. Radio Farda noted local officials outside of Tehran had announced “partial” quarantines, prompting panic in the capital that Rouhani appeared to be attempting to contain.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), Iran’s largest dissident organization, claimed on Monday that the “rumors” and disputes were a product of “political infighting,” citing Farsi-language state media daring to publish at least one critical piece against the regime’s coronavirus response.

“When provincial governors seek to impose quarantine measures, the president prevents them from doing so, saying such measures should be announced by the central government,” PMOI quoted an article in the state-run newspaper Jahan-e Sanat as saying. “The relevant department and committee hold a meeting with the president on one day, the health minister on another day, then the armed forces chief of staff on yet another day. There is still no specific central body focused on this issue and it is quite natural that the number of coronavirus deaths and cases continue to increase in Iran.”

In his remarks Sunday, the president also claimed the “peak of the disease” had passed, “But I still suggest people to stay at home, and in case of urgency, observe all health protocols.” Schools and other public places in Iran have shut down for at least the next two weeks.

A senior police official, Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, similarly denied that police would quarantine entire cities on Sunday, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

“Speaking at a military gathering on Sunday, the Police commander said neither the Coronavirus Fight National Headquarters nor the Police have put the idea of quarantining the cities on the agenda,” Tasnim relayed. “The Police believe that the new disease, like the previous challenges, is going to be controlled and contained with public cooperation, devotion and rapport, he added.”

Ashtari also reportedly warned of “the enemy’s psychological war,” which Tasnim did not elaborate on but resembles language typically used against the United States. Various Iranian officials have accused the United States and “Zionists” of creating the Chinese coronavirus and using it in a biological attack against China and Iran.

Khamenei, who as supreme leader outranks all officials in Iran, insisted in a letter to the people that any guidelines from Iran’s Minister of Health were “obligatory” and necessary to promote “Jihadi values.”

“The guidelines set by the National Committee on Combating Coronavirus and the Ministry of Health to prevent the spread of this disease are obligatory for everyone to carry out,” Khamenei’s letter read. “The National Mobilization Campaign against Corona, which is evidence-based and motivated by religious, humanitarian and Jihadi values, is an effective plan. This is what will turn tragedies into blessings and threats into opportunities, God willing.”

Khamenei did not make clear if suggestions directly from Rouhani, who presumably outranks the health officials, are also “obligatory for all.” If so, Rouhani’s suggestion to stay indoors would be mandatory; the preventing of at-risk people from leaving their house to contain a disease is a quarantine, which Rouhani insisted is not in place.

Rouhani unveiled a series of economic measures on Sunday intended to keep the little left of the Iranian economy afloat. Tehran squandered billions in foreign aid and sanctions relief triggered by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the Iran nuclear deal. While promising Iranian citizens investments in government and the economy, Tehran spent much of the money on supporting Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and terrorist groups like Hezbollah. When President Trump reinstated sanctions, Iran had little left to bolster its economy, triggering widespread protests as Iranians found themselves unable to afford basics like eggs and milk. While the Islamic regime managed to partially suppress protests, its economy has not recovered.

Rouhani announced on Sunday that shopkeepers would receive “a three-month grace period” to pay banking loans, taxes, and utilities to prevent bankruptcies. Loans for people suddenly unemployed as businesses shut down to attempt to stop the virus from spreading would also become available, the president claimed, according to state media.

At press time, Iran’s government claims to have identified 14,991 cases of Chinese coronavirus; among those, the regime says 853 have died. Dissident groups and even low-level politicians inside the country have claimed these numbers are artificially suppressed; the PMOI claimed on Sunday that over 4,900 people had died nationwide.

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