AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Appreciating all those who are working hard for the health and well-being of the Iranian people, the Iran's President said, "Our situation is better than European countries, while we are facing a virus worse than corona, which is sanctions, and this is a fact and something for our people to be proud of”.
Speaking on Sunday at the session of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus, President Hassan Rouhani said, "The basis of any decision in the process of fighting coronavirus in Iran is the 4 principles put forward by the Ministry of Health”.
Parts of President Hassan Rouhani's speech is as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
At today’s meeting of the National Task Force for Fighting Coronavirus, we discussed the decision made in the previous meeting of the task force, one of which was the Smart Social Distancing scheme, the reopening of low-risk businesses for provinces other than Tehran, which has begun from yesterday.
For this purpose, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education has been coordinating with guilds and any guild that wants to restart work and business, must register in a system and receive a code so that the ministry can keep contact with them.
Most of individuals have received this code and have been in contact; some may have been left behind. All businesses that have begun their work from yesterday but have not registered in the system must do it by the end of the week.
It was decided that individuals and businesses that have acted well in this regard receive points and be given sings so that people know which shops and businesses have worked more for the people and the society’s health.
It was also decided that ministries of health, interior and industry prepare plans for the restarting of higher-risk businesses so that they can begin work with protocols and instructions.
Regarding Tehran, as people know, the low-risk businesses will begin work from April 18 with the same health protocols and codes received. For high-risk businesses, people will be informed about the decisions once we make them.
The second point is about transportation. Meetings were held at the Ministry of the Interior at the Social-Security Committee, where it was finally agreed with the Ministry of Health that any public transportation vehicle, including buses and subways, would be disinfected at the start and end of line.
Respected drivers of these vehicles must wear masks and gloves and must accept people on board only to the number of seats and not more than the number of seats.
For Tehran and big cities, we are a bit short of public transportation, so our advice right now is for people to use personal vehicles, taxis and internet taxis, which are better than public transportation.
Those who need to use public transportation should follow health protocols.
In the first phase, the Ministry of Roads should prepare and provide intercity buses to solve the problem of shortage of public transport in Tehran and other metropolitan areas, and in the second phase, the buses that are needed should be purchased.
Another point discussed at the meeting, the decision of which was postponed to the next meeting, is gatherings and congregations during the holy month of Ramadan in mosques and places where people usually gather during the month of Ramadan.
Usually during the month of Ramadan, people have various ceremonies in husseiniyahs, mosques or anywhere else in groups. We have postponed the final decision on this to our next meeting.
Making decisions on congregations in the holy month of Ramadan was postponed to next meeting of the task force, but if our conditions remain the same, we will not have a face-to-face congregations.
In terms of hospital beds, work force, doctors, nurses, special beds, ventilators and the facilities they need, the Ministry of Health has been in good conditions, but at the same time, it is limited.
Another important thing that the Ministry of Health should have is the ability to perform the required tests with all its facilities, including paramedical centres, laboratories.
We know it's hard to stay home, some have a business and it's hard to close it down, kids who go to school have a hard time staying home, but we have no choice but to overcome this dangerous virus well.
The second point is that just as our nurse, doctors and all medical staff have been busy taking care of the dear people and sacrificed as much as they could, others have also done so.
Our dear drivers have worked hard and delivered what people needed in terms of food from ports.
Thank God, our situation is such that our reserves are more and better than ever. Our dear farmers have done a great job as well, and we kiss their hands. God willing, they will produce more wheat this year than last year.
In the industry sector, the latest figures that the Central Bank sent to me yesterday, show that in the last quarter of last year, the industry sector has grown by more than 6% compared to the first three months of the previous year, and this means great work, effort and activity.
I would like to thank the dear benefactors who have done a great job in the country. I would like to thank the students and teachers of Qom Seminary who have been busy providing services to people and this is very valuable.
I don't want to compare, but there was a comparison between Iran and some European countries, that if the Minister of Welfare wants, he can explain it to the people that there is a big gap between the situation in Iran and the situation in Europe, let's assume that the number of our death cases is very small. For example, it was 7 or 5 percent, which was a very small number, and they were 22 percent in some countries, and in some countries it was more than 22 percent.
Now some don't like such comparisons, and when we say that our situation is better than Europe's and their situation is worse than ours, they get angry. Well, yes! Our situation is better today.
The reason is our good people, the commitment of the medical staff, the radio and television, the armed forces, cyberspace and dear artists, and the reason is that we have all joined hands.
Yes, we have the coronavirus and you have it, but we also had a virus worse than corona, and that is the virus of sanctions. You have one virus, we have two viruses, but our people resisted so well and took each other's hands, helped each other and helped each other.
This is an honour for everyone, for all our loved ones and all our people; yes, our situation is relatively good against this disease and the dangerous virus, and our situation is better with some countries that we compare.
The last thing I want to say at this meeting is about success; well, these are the days when we all work hard; we have a lot of problems; Americans are working hard against us and you see when we want to get a loan, how much they sabotage and what lies they tell.
Even though they themselves are grappling with the virus, and they know what problems the Iranian people are facing in this situation, they are mounting pressures every day, and this inhumane act has been recorded forever in their history.
Now, in spite of all these difficulties, our dear lawyers and the Central Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have had a good success in a legal confrontation; the Americans had frozen our $1.6 billion in Luxembourg. Thank God, a few days ago we managed to unfreeze this money. This money belongs to the Iranian nation and belongs to the Central Bank, and all the reserves of the Central Bank belong to the Iranian nation.
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.
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End/ 257
source : President.ir
Sunday
12 April 2020
12:10:11 PM
1024786
Appreciating all those who are working hard for the health and well-being of the Iranian people, the Iran's President said, "Our situation is better than European countries, while we are facing a virus worse than corona, which is sanctions, and this is a fact and something for our people to be proud of”.