Turkey and Pakistan close borders with Iran over coronavirus deaths
Turkey and Pakistan have both closed their borders with Iran, with Turkey also halting incoming flights, in an effort to stop the potential spread of coronavirus after Iran reported 43 cases of the disease.
All highways and railways were closed at the border between Turkey and Iran as of 5pm local time and flights from Iran had been suspended, the Turkish health minister, Fahrettin Koca, said on Sunday. Flights from Turkey to Iran were still being allowed.
A provincial official in Pakistan and the country’s Frontier Corps also confirmed that it had sealed its land border with Iran.
Parts of Iran face lockdown as part of Iranian attempts to control the spread of Covid-19, which has killed eight people in Iran. “If the situation gets any worse city staff will be expected to convert to teleworkers,” said the mayor of Tehran, Pirouz Hanachi.
The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.
The UN agency advises people to:
Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap
Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing
Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough
Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers
Avoid direct, unprotected contact with live animals and surfaces in contact with animals when visiting live markets in affected areas
Avoid eating raw or undercooked animal products and exercise care when handling raw meat, milk or animal organs to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods.
Despite a surge in sales of face masks in the aftermath of the outbreak of the coronavirus outbreak, experts are divided over whether they can prevent transmission and infection. There is some evidence to suggest that masks can help prevent hand-to-mouth transmissions, given the large number of times people touch their faces. The consensus appears to be that wearing a mask can limit – but not eliminate – the risks, provided they are used correctly.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has advised UK nationals to leave China where possible. It is also warning that travellers from Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand who develop symptoms of cough or fever or shortness of breath within 14 days of returning the UK should contact the NHS by phone.
The Iranian authorities have also been fighting an information war amid widespread distrust on social media about whether the public is being told the truth about the scale of the outbreak.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed Tehran’s enemies were spreading mistrust and blamed western scare stories for the low turnout in parliamentary elections on Friday.
The first confirmed death from the virus in the Middle East was reported last Wednesday in the city of Qom, about an hour’s drive from Tehran. The number of people on the streets of the capital has been noticeably lower than usual, with many shops shut and face masks in short supply and increasingly expensive.
The authorities have introduced increasingly drastic measures in Tehran and 13 provinces, including the closure of schools, universities, cinemas and theatres. Public buses in Tehran have been disinfected, and posters put up urging people to clean their hands and not shake those of others.
The city’s school system has been shut for a minimum of two days to allow for disinfection spraying. There was also widespread advice to stay home and avoid places where people congregate. Some football matches were cancelled. Metro stations were not shut, but water fountains and shops were all being closed. The council said it was also taking new steps to dispose of waste.
At the airport, roughly a third of passengers were wearing masks, but there were no special controls on people leaving the country. Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan have either closed borders or are imposing extra health checks.
Despite the precautions the vast majority were carrying on with their daily lives as normal.
Some of the families of those that have died in Qom claim to know of no contact with anyone in China, prompting claims that this may be an indigenous disease. The health minister, Saeed Namaki, denied this, saying one victim traded in China and had travelled there indirectly. The strain discovered in Iran matched that in China, he said.
He has recommended no travel to or from Qom, as well as promising to distribute free coronavirus packages to residents in the area, including masks and educational brochures.
