Coronavirus: Iran outbreak raises fears of mass Middle East contagion as pilgrims and workers move across borders

Iran has confirmed 388 virus cases and 34 deaths, with dozens of cases in neighbouring countries linked to people who travelled to Iran

Saudi Arabia has banned foreigners from making pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina to halt the further spread of the virus

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Saudi Arabia, the location of the two holiest cities in the Islamic world, Mecca and Medina, that attract millions of worshippers each year, said on Thursday that it was temporarily suspending pilgrimages to halt the further spread of the virus. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:00pm, 28 Feb 2020Updated: 5:33am, 29 Feb 2020

Iran’s rising coronavirus death toll amid doubts over the government’s reporting of cases is raising fears of mass contagion across the Middle East, months ahead of the most important mass pilgrimage in the Islamic calendar.

Iranian health authorities have confirmed 34 deaths, the highest death toll outside China, and 388 cases, most of them in the holy city of Qom, a popular destination for Shiite pilgrims and scholars.

After insisting the country was free of the virus as recently as the start of last week, health authorities confirmed the first cases on February 19, after the deaths of two elderly patients from the coronavirus, which causes the disease officially known as Covid-19.

The Middle East is considered to be at major risk of a mass outbreak because of the constant movement of pilgrims and workers across borders, weak governance in many countries, and questions about the capacity of local health care systems to handle a surge in infections. Dozens of cases among people who have travelled to Iran have already emerged in Lebanon, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Oman, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Pakistan.

The Covid-19 virus has already spread to Iran’s neighbouring countries, and if Iran doesn’t act proactively, there is a big risk for the virus to travel more intensely far and beyond

Asif Shuja

“Due to Iran’s geographical positioning as a crossroads in the Middle East, the Covid-19 virus has already spread to Iran’s neighbouring countries, and if Iran doesn’t act proactively, there is a big risk for the virus to travel more intensely far and beyond,” said Asif Shuja, a senior research fellow at the Middle East Institute at the National University of Singapore.