![Iranians wear face masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus as they walk along a street in the capital Tehran, on July 3, 2021 [ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/GettyImages-1233780533-scaled-e1626786571292.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Iran imposed a one-week lockdown in the capital and a nearby province on Tuesday as daily COVID-19 caseloads hit a record high amid a fifth wave of the pandemic, state television reported, says Reuters.
The lockdown affects Tehran and Alborz provinces, with only essential businesses allowed to stay open. Most offices, theatres and sports facilities must shut down in an effort to prevent the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the TV said.
Iran, the epicentre of the pandemic in the Middle East, reported 27,444 new cases on Tuesday, breaking the earlier record of 25,582 on April 14. Deaths rose by 250 to 87,624.
The government has been accused on social media of mismanagement over the country’s slow vaccination drive with only 2.3 million people fully vaccinated from a population of 83 million. Officials have blamed US sanctions for hampering efforts to buy foreign vaccines and delays in deliveries.
READ: Iran’s Raisi says quick COVID-19 vaccination to top his plans