Coronavirus Updates: Armenia, Turkey, Pakistan Seal Borders with Iran

On Sunday, Iran reported 43 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The countries in the region reacted quickly to the alarming information – Armenia, Turkey, and Pakistan have closed their land borders with Iran. Turkey has also halted incoming flights from Iran.

Iran has further reported that Covid-19 has killed 9 people in the country, which is the highest coronavirus death toll outside of China.

“If the situation gets any worse, city staff will be expected to convert to teleworkers,” said the Mayor of Tehran, Pirouz Hanachi.

Georgia’s neighboring country Armenia "has closed the border with Iran for two weeks," reads the Facebook post of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
“Based on Article 16 of the Law on the State, the government will make an extraordinary remote decision to stop communication with the Islamic Republic of Iran for two weeks".

Iran-Armenia air traffic will be stopped and the Meghri border crossing to Armenia will be closed.

"Tomorrow morning, the meeting of the Committee against the Spread of Coronavirus will take place, during which we will discuss further steps, possible scenarios and events resulting from them,” reads the Facebook post of the Armenian Prime Minister.

On February 23, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the coronavirus outbreak has been the "largest public health emergency" since the founding of Communist China. The death toll on the mainland reached 2,442, and the confirmed cases of the infected 76,936.

By Nini Dakhundaridze

Image source: The New York Post