Iran’s VP for women, family affairs diagnosed with coronavirus

TEHRAN: Iranian Vice President on family and women’s matters, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has become infected with the coronavirus, state news reported.

Ebtekhar, who advises President Hassan Rouhani on family and women’s matters, has placed under quarantine. She has become the Islamic Republic’s most prominent coronavirus patient as the country struggles with the epidemic.

All members of Ebtekar’s team will now undergo testing for the virus. She is the second member of the Iranian government known to be infected, after deputy health minister Iraj Harirshi, originally tasked with containing the spread of the virus, tested positive on Tuesday.

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Iran has struggled to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, confirming that 26 people have died from the virus.  A total of 245 people across the country have tested positive, while 54 patients are said to have recovered and have been sent back to their homes.

Elham Sheikhi, a well-known Iranian female footballer who played for the national team, died of the virus at the age of 23. She reportedly died on Wednesday in Qom, after becoming infected last week.

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In a message to medical staff on Thursday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the effort to contain the virus and treat the victims as a “difficult and momentous task.”

The government has closed down educational and cultural institutions across the country, and reportedly distributed hundreds of thousands of “sanitation packs” to help contain the virus.

The news came a day after Russia announced it would limit its visas for travel, and the same day Moscow said it would restrict all flights from Iran. Iraq, Oman and UAE have also recorded cases that appear to have been originated from Iran.