Tehran 24 February _The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry says closure of the country’s borders with some neighboring states over a coronavirus outbreak is only a temporary measure and a result of the current emergency conditions.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club(YJC)-"The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a state of emergency in some parts of the world and it is only natural that some measures must be taken collectively to counter the virus," Abbas Mousavi said on Monday.
"When the coronavirus was detected in our country, our neighbors also felt concern about the spread of the disease to their countries, which is natural, but this issue should not prevent popular exchanges or exports and imports among countries," he added.
The Iranian diplomat noted that the Iranian Foreign Ministry has held consultations with senior officials of the neighboring countries through embassies in order to assure them that "no suspicious cases will cross the borders."
The closure of the borders is unlikely to be permanent, the Iranian spokesperson said, adding, "This move is also among preventive and temporary measures taken by some countries."
A spokesman for Iran's Health Ministry said on Monday that the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in the country has reached 12, while the number of confirmed infections stands at 64.