(Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader called on Iranians to create the sense of Ramadan in their homes, since public gatherings are banned as the country tries to contain one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks.
Schools and universities remain closed in the Islamic Republic and a ban on cultural, religious and sports gatherings has been imposed
“Because of being deprived of public prayings, speeches and so on during Ramadan, we should create the same senses in our homes,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Ramadan begins at sundown on April 23 and lasts for 30 days.
Khamenei’s remarks came as Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur announced that Iran’s coronavirus death toll has risen by 117 to 4,110. The total number of cases has reached 66,220, he said, noting that 32,309 people have recovered.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Babak Dehghanpisheh; editing by Alison Williams, Larry King)
