Iran’s death toll due to the novel coronavirus outbreak rose by 97 new fatalities to 611 on Saturday, a health official announced.

The COVID-19 caseload surged by 1,365 in the past 24 hours, reaching 12,729 people, including 611 who died from the infectious disease, Health Ministry Spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour was also quoted as saying by ISNA.

Jahanpour once again urged people to refrain from making unnecessary trips and asked public figures to convey this message through their platforms.

The meeting of the coronavirus taskforce, chaired by President Hassan Rouhani, was held online on Saturday, during which the top official was briefed on the latest developments in the fight against the respiratory illness.

Rouhani characterized the proposal made by Health Minister Saeed Namaki to tighten control on people’s movements in 11 provinces most affected by the deadly virus as “useful”.

“We must alert people about the measure before imposing it. The teams at the checkpoints need to act in a way that will avoid traffic [disruption] on roads,” he added.

Rouhani rejected Namaki’s suggestion to penalize those who have decided to travel despite showing symptoms, pointing out that “the travelers might not be aware of their illness; returning them and guiding them to hospitals will suffice.”

The upcoming 13-day holidays following the turn of the new Iranian year on March 20 has sparked fears of a spike in the number of coronavirus patients.

The infection has spread to all 31 provinces in Iran. Five provinces did not add any confirmed cases on Saturday.

Screening the Population

During the meeting, the Health Ministry updated the president on its initiative to screen every family in Iran as part of efforts to detect the infected.

The Health Ministry has designated 1,200 hospitals nationwide to only accept coronavirus patients so that the identified cases can be hospitalized, if necessary.

Rouhani noted that 97% of the people who have been checked online or via telephone do not exhibit symptoms.

The president also thanked the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for establishing a “health and treatment base” by recruiting the resources of the armed forces.

Rouhani will hold a meeting with experts and private sector representatives on Sunday to discuss the economic repercussions of the pandemic “in detail”.

Monday’s coronavirus taskforce meeting will also be headed by Rouhani.

Tehran Governor General Anoushirvan Mohseni Bandpay announced that starting Saturday, all entry and exit points to the province of Tehran will be equipped with clinical thermometers.

COVID-19 has taken the lives of more than 5,600 people and infected nearly 150,000 worldwide.