Iran to ban intercity travel as coronavirus death toll tops 2,000

Iran will ban intercity travel within days as it finally gets tough with coronavirus that has killed more than 2,000 people in one of world's deliest outbreaks, officials said Wednesday.

strict new measures come after weeks of cajoling largely failed to prevent hundreds of thousands of Iranians taking to ros to visit family for two-week Persian New Year holiday.

"New journeys will be banned, leaving towns and cities will be banned," government spokesman Ali Rabii anunced, hours after President Hassan Rouhani revealed government was poised to introduce "difficult" new measures against outbreak.

"People should return to ir home towns as quickly as possible," Rabii said.

He said government would issue a statutory instrument setting out fines for violations.

"Of course, security forces are going to stop it," he said, referring to travel on Iran's major highways.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told official news ncy IRNA Wednesday that ban would enter force "tomorrow or day after".

dressing a cabinet meeting earlier, Rouhani h warned that new measures could be opted as soon as Wednesday evening.

Iran on Wednesday anunced 143 new deaths from coronavirus, raising official death toll to 2,077.

Health ministry spokesman Kiaush Jahanpour ded that "our colleagues have registered 2,206 new cases of COVID-19 infection" in past 24 hours, bringing total infections to 27,017.

Iran h long resisted imposing any lockdown, choosing inste to rely on verbal appeals for people to stay home.

But those have been widely igred. tritional holiday exodus from Iran's cities went ahe largely undiminished raising fears of virus spreing deeper into countryside.

"re has been a long debate within National Committee for Fighting Coronavirus about how to strengn measures we have taken," Rouhani said in his televised comments to cabinet.

"We need to step up those measures," he said, ding that health ministry h "presented committee with a plan" that could be "approved and published" during day.

"It may create problems for people's travel plans and require that people return home early," president said.

"It could stop next wave of journeys. People have to realise that se are difficult decisions that are being taken to protect people's lives.

"But we have choice, because lives of Iranians are important to us." Rouhani said new measures would be opted for 15 days and would be "implemented thoroughly until Saturday, April 4," day when children rmally return to school after holiday.