Iran Poll: 51% Of Iranians Earn Less During COVID-19 Crisis – OpEd
Almost 51% of Iranians are earning less money during the country’s COVID-19 crisis which has led to the death of at least 32,800 people, a poll showed yesterday.
The state-run Iran Student Polling Agency (ISPA) said in a poll conducted between April 12 to April 15 that the income of 50.7% of people surveyed had decreased. According to the ISPA, 41.7% of the statistical population reported that their businesses were shut down following the COVID-19 outbreak, while 13.5% said they lost their jobs.
The Iranian regime lifted economic limitations in Tehran on Saturday. Businesses in other provinces resumed two weeks before, a move that has led to criticism against Rouhani’s government.
Critics say that with the resumption of businesses, the possibility of the disease spreading increases and that the death toll will rise during the COVID-19 crisis.
The head of Tehran’s COVID-19 Headquarters said today that there was a 7% increase in the number of patients in the ICU of hospitals in the capital.
Alireza Zali also said that 237 people infected with the virus were hospitalized while another 91 people were taken to the ICU in just one day.
The Tehran COVID-19 official also said that the number of people infected who were admitted to hospitals had increased by 3% in Tehran.
The regime maintains that only 5,209 people have died from the virus in Iran. But an opposition group that announces Iran’s daily COVID-19 death figures says the regime is covering up the actual number of deaths.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran said today that at least 32,800 Iranians have passed away in 294 cities since the start of the epidemic.
Yesterday, the Arman state-run newspaper wrote that “with the reopening of Tehran’s bazaar and the high amount of traffic on the streets, a new wave of COVID-19 will soon break out in the country and millions of lives will be threatened.”
Also yesterday, Mohammad Reza Mehmandar, the head of Tehran’s Traffic Police, announced that with the implementation of “Smart Distancing” the amount of traffic in the country’s capital had almost doubled compared to the same day last year.
The police official also said that compared to last Saturday, “we have had a 35% increase in traffic.”
Despite the resumption of economic activities, some Iranian officials have warned about the dire economic consequences of the COVID-19 disaster in Iran.
Quoting an Iranian lawmaker, the state-run Hamshahri daily warned of “the horrific conditions of a post-COVID-19” Iran.
Eman Abadi said that the current situation in the country suggests that Iran will face rising unemployment and inflation in post-coronavirus conditions.
“One million people will join those who are already unemployed after the COVID-19 epidemic,” he said on April 18.
