Page 43 - IRANRptMar20

The government of Georgia has imposed restrictions on the movement of individuals from Iran to Georgia and vice versa amid the recent coronavirus outbreak in Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told InterPressNews on Sunday.
According to the ministry, at this stage, airlines will be banned from taking passengers from Iran to Georgia, but they will be allowed to enter the Georgian air space with empty planes in order to take Iranian tourists currently in Georgia back home.
“The government of Georgia is in constant communication with the Iranian authorities in order to receive the updates about the situation on the ground and the current preventive measures there,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
9.1.5​ Tourism sector news
Armenia’s embassy in Iran has shut down its consular department and embassy following the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, it announced on Facebook on February 23.
Following the news of spiking deaths from the deadly virus, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan reportedly joined the list of neighbours sealing up their borders with Iran. Azerbaijan gradually closed its borders, including in Bilarsavur and Astara, the latter closing later in the day.
Iran has officially reported eight dead, and more than 28 suffering from the virus, which is spreading at break-neck speed across the country and wider region. Armenia is particularly susceptible to becoming the next in line to catch the virus, as Iran has some 300,000 ethnic Armenians in the country in several cities, many of which travel between the two countries.
The news of the closure comes at least two officials of Tehran municipality reportedly contracted the disease; one of them is already dead.
On February 22, the mayor of District 13 in the south of Tehran was reported to be suffering from the virus, while a deputy mayor of District 15 is suspected to be carrying the now dubbed Covid-19 strain.
Nurseries, schools and public events such as sports matches have all been cancelled until further notice, with the government and private businesses now warning people to not shake hands or be in close confines with each other. The news follows parliamentary elections which saw large crowds of people standing in line – some with masks – to vote on February 21. Many reportedly avoided voting altogether due to the ongoing fear of the virus.
“The Armenian-Iranian border should be closed before the threat of the spread of the coronavirus is eliminated,” the head of the Bright Armenia Party, Edmond Marukyan, stated on February 23 on his Facebook page.On February 22, the Armenian Foreign Ministry called on citizens to halt travel to Iran. The ministry asked those who are on the Iranian side to contact the Armenian embassy.
By afternoon on February 23, Turkish Airlines announced it was cancelling all flights to and from Iran by the end of the day.
Flights via Iraqi Airways to Baghdad were officially “delayed” on the board; it is not known whether the return flight to the neighbour will carry passengers.
9.1.6 ​TMT sector news
43​ IRAN Country Report​ March 2020 www.intellinews.com
Iran’s cyberpolice force have arrested 24 people accused of spreading rumours about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country, ISNA