Iran, an early global epicenter of the coronavirus, made mask-wearing mandatory on Sunday as cases surge again. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seeking to convince the public to take the threat seriously, has released an image of himself in a mask, urging the country’s 80 million residents to don them as well, The Associated Press reported. New coronavirus cases and deaths reached a record low in May after mass lockdowns were imposed in Iran. But since then, numbers have spiked again, with Tehran officials saying a combination of improved testing and reopenings had driven the surge. The total deaths from the virus are likely wider than currently known, according to the AP.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 06, 2020 09:40 UTC