While the death toll of coronavirus in Iran is on the rise again and the Islamic Republic officials still urge people to wear masks in public, the Minister of Health, Saeed Namaki admitted: “We know that a poor family cannot buy masks at 1500 tomans.”

In an interview with the state-TV, Namaki pointed out that the spread of the virus has increased in provinces such as West Azarbaijan, Ilam, Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Sistan and Baluchistan, and said: “Unfortunately a new wave in our important border provinces has created a lot of problems for us.”

“In the early days, over 85 percent were following protocols but less than 10 percent are still following them now,” Namaki added.

The chairman of Tehran city council also announced on Tuesday that the number of corpses buried in Tehran’s cemetery has increased from 19 a day to 70 yesterday.

In several provinces, the number of young patients is on the rise, and in Khorasan Razavi province, most of the patients and victims are among the youth.

The number of coronavirus cases among the medical staff is also on the rise. In Bukan city of West Azarbaijan alone over 40 hospital personnel have contracted the virus.