Three more people in Iran have been infected with the new virus that originated in central China, the announcement was made the day before that two people had died of the illness caused by the virus in the Iranian city of Qom.
In the aftermath, all schools and universities, including religious Shiite seminaries, were shut down in the holy city of Qom, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Qom, located around 140 kilometers south of the capital, Tehran, is a popular religious destination and a center of learning and religious studies for Shiite Muslims from inside Iran, as well as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. It is also known for its cattle farms.
Other news reports said Iran had recently evacuated 60 Iranian students from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the epidemic.
IRNA reported that the three new cases are all Iranians residing in Qom, with one of the infected having visited the city of Arak.
Mohammad Mahdi Gouya, Iran’s deputy health minister, said they did not appear to have had any contact with Chinese nationals.
Iranian authorities were now investigating the origin of the disease, and its possible link with religious pilgrims from Pakistan or other countries.
Iran once relied heavily on China to buy its oil and some Chinese companies have continued doing business with Iran in the face of U.S. sanctions.
Unlike other countries — such as Saudi Arabia, which barred its citizens and residents from traveling to China — Iran has not imposed such measures on travel there.
The new virus emerged in Wuhan, China in December. Since then, more than 75,000 people have been infected globally, with more than 2,000 deaths being reported, mostly in China.
The virus has had few cases in the Middle East so far.
