Regime media and officials describe the early reopening of schools without protection and disinfection equipment as a “genocide” and a “humanitarian catastrophe”
“We are seeing a new flare-up of the Coronavirus and the third wave of the disease.” This is the recent statement of the regime’s Health Minister, who announced the beginning of the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran. (The state-run Mehr News Agency- September 22, 2020)
In Tehran, Alireza Zali, head of the National Coronavirus Combat Taskforce said, “In Tehran, we are moving towards the third wave of the outbreak. The arrival of the third wave in Tehran will be much earlier than in other provinces.” (The state-run Hamshahri Daily – September 15, 2020)
Resalat, a state-run daily, reported, “In terms of the number of daily deaths due to the Coronavirus, Iran is one of the five most seriously affected countries in the world. At the same time, Iran holds the 19th place with respect to its population, which means that in Iran, the number of Coronavirus infections and deaths is higher than the global average.” (The state-run Resalat Daily – September 17, 2020)
Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Health Minister, called the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran “a catastrophe.” (State television – September 21, 2020)
In explaining the tragedy, he added, “Our weekly hospitalization has reached 9,640. At the peak of the disease in March and April, it was 7,900, and it reached 1,971 towards the latter part of April. Now it has increased by five times.”
At the start of the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran, regime officials describe the situation as “super-red,” “critical,” and “stormy.” They also say the country’s healthcare system is “collapsing.” The Coronavirus disaster has spread throughout Iran, but nonetheless, the regime has reopened schools under these circumstances.
One million children exposed to the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran
Despite warnings from doctors and experts, schools and universities reopened early, 15 days before the regular opening date of September 22.
“One million Iranian children are exposed to the third and fourth waves of the Coronavirus,” according to a state-run daily newspaper. (The state-run Setareh-Sobh Daily – September 17, 2020)
However, none of the schools and universities in the country have the necessary conditions and facilities to comply with standard preventive protocols. Asafari, a member of the regime’s parliament, revealed, “Many areas did not send personnel to schools to disinfect them.” (The state-run ICANA News Agency, September 6, 2020)
Ismaili, a member of the regime parliament’s Education and Research Commission, said, “If we want to hold in-person classes, schools must be disinfected every day, and students are required to use masks and gels; these require families to undertake large expenses. There is also a need for constant thermometry, for which we are not currently prepared.” (The state-run Mehr News Agency, September 12, 2020)
Hossein Gheshlaghi, a member of the Supreme Medical Council, said, “If the government had applied strict quarantine measures between March 10, 2020 and April 8, 2020, the first wave of the Coronavirus would have been less painful and medical staff would not have faced the overwhelming workload. Another mistake that greatly increases the risk of the spread of the virus and the mortality rate is the reopening of schools. Keeping them closed would have been a controlling factor in reducing the third wave of the Coronavirus.” (The state-run Mehr News Agency, September 14, 2020)
Some state officials and media outlets have described the regime’s move as “genocide” and a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
“Perhaps this should not be said, but the reopening of schools is physically genocidal, especially for the poor, given that the most difficult contemporary autumn has been repeatedly warned.” (The state-run Resalat Daily – September 7, 2020)
Shahrbanoo Amani, a member of the Tehran City Council said, “There are 14.7 million students across the country, 2 million of whom are in the capital. If one percent contracts the Coronavirus, we will face a human catastrophe.” (The state-run Arman-e Meli Daily, September 13, 2020)
Infection and death of students in the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran
The Vice-Chancellor for Health at Kermanshah University announced at a meeting of the Coronavirus Countermeasures Headquarters that 13 children in Kermanshah had died of the virus. He added that 178 children in Kermanshah have been diagnosed with the Coronavirus so far. (The state-run ILNA news agency, September 20, 2020)
At Shahed Girls’ Middle School in Tehran, several students, three supervisors, and two teachers have been infected with the Coronavirus. Even the school caretaker is suspected of having Covid-19. (The state-run Entekhab News Agency, September 13, 2020)
Zeinab Taheri, a tenth-grade student in the city of Langarud, died on Saturday, September 19, 2020, due to the Coronavirus.
However, in Lorestan, the acting governor of the Selseleh County wrote, “Since the opening of schools on September 5, 2020, 39 students at different levels of education in Selseleh city have contracted the Coronavirus. On September 10 and 11, 2020, at least 18 students in the city became infected. These students are between 7 and 17 years of age; all of them were forced to go to school.”
At Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, the Vice Chancellor for Treatment announced, “In the past 2 weeks, 48 teachers have been infected with the Coronavirus and 183 teachers have had family members infected. Some 163 students have been infected and the families of 2,863 students are at risk of becoming infected with the Coronavirus.” (The state-run khabarforionline.ir, September 17, 2020)
The Vice President of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences announced, “163 students and 48 teachers have been infected recently with the Coronavirus, and one of the family members of each of the 2,863 students has contracted the disease. The situation has become more difficult and complicated, and the infections and deaths will increase by 4 to 5 times. (The official IRNA news agency – September 16, 2020)
These are just a few examples that have made their way into state press and media. Unfortunately, it must be assumed that the situation is similar in all cities and provinces, and with the third wave of the Coronavirus in Iran, the situation will only worsen.
More than 110,700 Coronavirus-related deaths
The Iranian resistance has so far recorded more than 110,700 deaths in Iran. Because of the oppressive conditions in the country, it is considered a crime to leak statistics and other information about the numbers of those suffering from or dying of the Coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the mullahs’ regime has not taken any effective action to combat the Coronavirus. On the contrary, its actions have spread the disease as much as possible.
The regime’s initial concealment of the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the failure to quarantine cities, continued flights to China and other countries, the early reopening of businesses, and the recent reopening of schools – contrary to the views of experts and health officials – have been among the regime’s actions. These failures to act responsibly have put Iran at the epicenter of the pandemic in the Middle East and have caused the Coronavirus to explode inside the country.
The mullahs’ performance in countering the Coronavirus cannot be described as merely irresponsible. All the evidence points to a deliberate strategy to kill the Iranian people in order to preserve the regime. This is what the Iranian resistance calls the strategy of “causing mass human casualties.”
An oppressive regime that has no mercy on children
It should be noted that official statistics announced by the regime are not transparent, and many regime experts admit that the official numbers are one-fifth or one-tenth of the actual ones.
The spread of the Coronavirus catastrophe in Iran was avoidable and could have been much more limited. The spread of the deadly virus is a direct result of sending people back to work and reopening schools without the slightest preventive measures.
The Supreme Leader of the regime, Ali Khamenei, did not allocate even a tiny fraction of the trillions of dollars – which belongs to the Iranian people – under the control of his affiliated institutions.
Two top officials in the regime’s Health Ministry have revealed that they have been trying to contain the Coronavirus “empty-handed” and “without special assistance” for the past 8 months.
“Of the €1 billion approved in March 2020 from the National Development Fund for the fight against the Coronavirus, only about 30 percent has been paid to the Ministry of Health as of September 23, 2020,” said Iraj Harirchi, Deputy Health Minister, speaking on a TV program on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.
The regime’s Minister of Health, Saeed Namaki, also complained on his Instagram account on the morning of September 23, 2020, saying, “I have not received anything but a small share of the one billion (Euros) that the leadership agreed months ago to pay from the Development Fund.” (The state-run Alef.ir – September 23, 2020)
Under the mullahs’ rule, the regime is not willing to fight the Coronavirus, nor to save the lives of millions of innocent Iranians. Khamenei describes the Coronavirus outbreak as a “blessing” and “an opportunity” like the 8-year Iran-Iraq war – with one million killed in Iran alone and $1 trillion in damage, an opportunity to kill the people and a blessing to perpetuate their hated rule. In the meantime, he does not hesitate to send innocent children to the minefields and the Coronavirus altar.
