ERBIL - Iranian authorities on Saturday announced tougher restrictions on Saturday to better deal with the epidemic situation in the country.
As part of new tightened measures, non-essential businesses were said to be closed down with travel bans imposed in some cities, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
However, despite the announcement of new measures, streets in the capital Tehran were seen crowded on Saturday morning and some non-essential businesses were still open, the majority of which were later closed.
Photos of crammed metro trains with the hashtag " Coronavirus kills" were also seen in Iran, the report added.
Based on the new rules, anyone who violates the measures will be fined 10 million rials (about $37), Reuters said.
Moreover, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani revealed that the two-week restrictions could be extended if the situation deteriorates.
This comes as Tehran continues to set new records almost every day in the number of coronavirus cases confirmed on a daily basis. It reported 12,931 new infections which raised the tally to 841,308, while 44,327 patients have so far died since February.